308 IV. Right Bank. ROME. e. The Vatican;
vases, golden ornaments, and various domestic utensils in bronze, ali
extremely interesting as a link in the history of Italian art, and afford-
ing some insight into the habits of the stili mysterious Etruscans.
(To the left by the loggia, in the space before the door, is a relief of
Medea; right, by the door, another with a contest of Hercules.)
I. Room : Three sarcophagi of terracotta with lifesize figures of the
deceased on the covers. On the walls numerous portrait-heads in terracotta,
attractive from their lifelike conception of the individuai peculiarities and
their naturalistic reproduction of the same. — II. Room ; to the right.
Numerous portrait-heads ; numerous smaller cinerary urns, some of them of
alabaster with mythological reliefs, from Chiusi and Volterra. — III. Room :
In the corners are small cinerary urns in the form of houses and huts,
found in the Italie (Latin) graves (dating from the so-called first iron-
age, about the 8th cent. B. C.) between Albano and Marino, some, it is said,
under a layer of volcanic tufa. 110. Gravestone of a certain Alegnatos,
son of Drutos, with an early-Latin and Celtic inscription, from Todi. —
IV. Room ; left wall, near the entrance, 154-156. Fine terracotta frieze from
Cerveteri; 168. Relief in stucco of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. Terracottas:
*Mercury; by the back wall; 211, 234. Fragments of female figures with
rich drapery, from Tivoli -, 215. Lid of an urn, with the dying Adonis, an
interesting naturalistic work ; on the wall to the right, 265. Relief in stucco
of Venus and Adonis; on the walls, reliefs, cinerary runs, architectural
fragments. By the window, small terracottas.
The next four rooms contain the Collection of Vases. These painted
vessels were partly imported from Greece, partly manufactured in Etruria
itself, where Vulci, Chiusi, Volterra, Bomarzo, etc, are proved to have ex-
celled in this branch of art. The Etruscans imitated the earlier Greek vases
with black, as well as the later with red figures, often without a just ap-
preciation of the subjects, and with an obvious preference for tragic scenes,
especially murders. In point of drawing also they are far inferior to the
Greek originals. An exhaustive examination of the details will be under-
taken by the scientific only ; the most interesting objects only need be enu-
merated here. — I. Room: Vases of the earliest style, with figures in black,
some of them from Corinth; in the centre a very ancient vessel with re-
presentations of animals. — II. Room : In the middle, 77. Ajax with the
body of Patroclus; '-78 Achilles and Ajax playing at draughts (with the
name of the manufacturer Exekias). To the right of the window-wall are
prize-vases of the Panathensean Festival at Athens ; under the 2nd window,
two basins with archaic Latin inscriptions. At the door, a vase (No. 70)
with two men with oil-vessels and the inscriptions : '0 Father Zeus, would
that I were rich', and: 'It is already full and even runs over'. — III. Room:
Arched corridor. *134. Hector parting from Priam and Hecuba. At the first
window, 133. Vase with three handles, with representations of Apollo and
six Muses. To the left, on the wall, a number of excellent vases with red
figures, including "84. Vase with admirably-drawn figure of Achilles, the
pendant to which is effaced beyond recognition (Briseis?); 93. Minerva and
Hercules (Vulci) ; 97. Apollo on a winged tripod. To the right, at the centre
window, !103. Large vase, with whitish ground and coloured designs, re¬
presenting the delivery of the infant Bacchus to Silenus ; on the reverse, mu-
sicians. In the niche to the left are large vases from S . Italy, with poly-
chrome ornamentation in gold, white, and violet. Adjacent, 121. Humourous
representation of Jupiter and Mercury's visit to Alcmene. N ear the exit, a
vase with ancient fracture and repairs. — The IV. Room contains a large
collection of graceful and delicately painted goblets. The cabinet contains
small vases, some of them of irregular form. On the wall above are copies
of paintings in a tomb at Vulci, showing that Etruscan art was at this period
completely Hellenised. Below, as the imperfectly-interpreted inscriptions
appear to indicate, is a historical scene, an adventure of Mastarna (Servius
Tullius) and Cseles Vibenna, besides mythological representations (Cassan¬
dra, Achilles slaying the victim for the funeral sacrifice of Patroclus). The
glass-cases contain ancient glass vessels, many of which are noticeable for
their fine workmanship and colouring.
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