Metropolitan Museum of Art. Handbook No. 3.

Sculptures of the Cesnola Collection of

Cypriote Antiquities in the East Entrance Hall and North Aisle
Review by: Thomas Davidson
The American Art Review, Vol. 2, No. 7 (May, 1881), p. 34
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34 ^ THE AMERICAN ART REVIEW.

that identified by Dr. Schliemann with the Homeric Troy. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. HANDBOOK No. 3.
An excellent plan of this city by M. Emile Burnouf accom Sculptures of the Cesnola Collectionz of Cyfriote Ayi
panies the work. tiquities in thteEast Entrance Hall and North Aisle.
Of the Appendices, the most important are those by Published by the Trustees. [New York.] I88o.
Prof. Brugsch-Bey on "Hera Bo6pis," and "Troy and I2mO. 48 pp.

Egypt." We need many more than we have of such HIS little work,- prepared by Mr. A. D. Savage,
efforts to determine the relations between the civilizations
of the New York Metropolitan Museum, is a
of the Nile and Euphrates valleys and that of Hellas.
model of a guide-book, -concise, exhaustive,
The attempt to connect the name of the much persecuted
and well arranged. Having used it in studying
Jo with the Semitic I, signifying, " isle," instead of with
the collection, and found its value, we can speak of it with
=to go, .wemust regard as a decided advance, although
entire confidence. It is not merely a catalogue, -that is
one need not despair of finding an etymology for Jo within
confined to the last eight pages. It is, besides, a real
the limits of the Aryan tongues. The root juc and its
handbook, giving all the now attainable information neces
modifications juv andjav have never been fully traced out
sary for the understanding of theworks, and grouping, them
through the Greek language. When it is fully examined,
in almost every way calculated to bring out their resem
it will be found, we believe, not only in 'Icoand 'Icav, but
blances and differences.
also in 'Hpi and pwsw,and even in qcas, Evpos, CiovposV,
Mr. Savage, while freely admitting the presence of
'yecvpa,and 'Ecvpi1.
Egyptian and Assyrian influence in Cyprus, is inclined
The least valuable of the Appendices appears to be to believe that it is mainly due to the Phcenicians, who,
that by Prof. Sayce on the Inscriptions found at Hassarlik. he thinks, began to settle in the island as early as B. C.
The learned Professor does not succeed in interpreting any zooo. His reasons for this belief seem pretty cogent,
of the supposed inscriptions, or even inmaking it probable though we should not be willing to accept the, date
that they are inscriptions. He is unquestionably right in assigned to the Phcenician immigration. The gradual
setting, aside the bold attempt of Deecke to connect the transition from Orientalism to Hellenism in Cyprian art,
Cyprian inscriptions with the cuneiform alphabet, and per
wlhich Mr. Savage clearly brings out by means of skilful
haps also in holdintg that the famous a'7uaraXvypa, which
grouping,, is in the highest degree interesting, showing
Bellerophon carried to Lykia, were identical with the for how much, and yet, artistically speaking, how very little,
mer. For ourselves, we have little doubt that, besides the
Greece owed to the older nations. Wlhen we are better
alplhabets of the Nile and Euphrates valleys, there was a acquainted with the art of Asia Minor and Phcenicia than
third independent one, native toAsia Minor and perlhaps we now are, we shall doubtless be able to slhow numerous
invented in the valley of the Hermos. No doubt excava and unlooked for connections between it and that of Cy
tions on the site of Sardis would settle this, as well as many prus. At present we must content ourselves with a dili
other things.
gent study of the works before us. Toward this study
There are many single points in Dr. Schliemann's book Mr. Savage's little manual, testifying, as it does, to so
that one would like to take up and discuss, but this is much careful observation and skill in arrangement, is a
hardly the proper place. We may mention that Prof. Gil most valuable, and, indeed, in the present state of our
dersleeve of Baltimore inclines to the opinion that the knowledge, an indispensable aid.
triple vases (see p. 384) were used for making libations, THOMAS DAVIDSON.
and calls attention to the lines of the Antigone, 430, 431:
MEK rT eVKpOTrTTOV
XaXtcear aP8qv irpoXov Xoa*a Tp
rpT0wov
8o05r T7JVVEiKV'mrT6f, "And with hand uplifted high CRITICISM.
from a bronze pitcher of beautiful beaten work, with thrice
ART ESSAYS. By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON, I11US
poured libations she crowns the dead." He is fully aware
trated. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co. IOOpp. 8vo.
that Homer, Odyssey, XI. 26 seq, speaks of triple libations
(Atlas Series, No. 14.)
as being, poured successively.
ART ESSAYS. No. 2. Modern Schools of Art, Ameri
The question in regard to themeaning of the Svastika
cat and European. By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON
and Sauvastika is one of extraordinary interest, as it car
New York: A. S. Barnes & Co. go pp. 8vo. (Atlas
ries us back to one of those primitive visible signs which
Series, No. 21.)
appear to bear the same relation to the symbolism of
plastic art that roots do to the art of speeclh, wlhich is N these Essays, reprinted from the International
purely symbolic. The svastika appears to be the substan i l and the Prince/on Review, we find ample evi
tive verb of symbolism,' whose grammar has yet to be [jde dence that the best art critic is the artist who,
written,2 on the basis of a world-wide induction. Primi like Mr. Hamerton, combines literary ability
tive symbolism is as little arbitrary as speech. with technical knowledge. We can fairly say of him, as he
In laying down Dr. Sclhliemann's book, we feel that we says of Fromentin,-that bright particular star among men
owe hiim a heavy debt of gratitude. of his kind, -" He knows what he is talking about; he is
THOMAS DAVIDSON. thoroughly well informed, he has the technical knowledge
without which all writing upon art is sure to go wrong in
I was much interested fast summer to find an iron szvastika, about its estimates, and he has the intellectual sympathy, the
an inch square, apparently the head of a pin, among the pagan anti imaginative power, without wlhich the best technical knowl
quities in the Museum of the Benedictine Monastery at Martinsberg in
edge is inanimate."
Hungary.
2Winckelmann's It is only necessary to read Fromentin on the Old Mas
not very happy Versuch ciner Ailegorie, besonders
fUr- die Kinst, seems to have deterred other people from attempting to ters, and Hamerton on The Practical Work of Painting,
write a gramumar of spontaneous art-symbolism. and to compare wlhat they say with writings upon art sub

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