The Story of Porcelain | Page 8

pottery?"
"Greek pottery? Bless my heart! I thought you had forgotten all about
that."
"So I had when I was fishing," confessed Theo honestly. "But I have
remembered it again now."
"You are a frank youngster," laughed Mr. Croyden. "Well, let me see.
You know the making of pottery was a fine art among the Greeks. They
made two kinds--neither of them glazed, of course, because at that time
nobody knew how to glaze pottery. The first kind was a pottery of red
clay on which were placed decorations of black pigment; the other was
a pottery on which they painted figures in red, afterward filling in the
background around them with black. These two varieties of ware are
briefly known as black on red, and red on black. The black portion of
this pottery possessed a wonderful polish which came from the black
pigment mixed with the clay; the red part, on the contrary, had no lustre,
evidently being smoothed and polished with some hard tool after the
vase was finished. These vases were very beautiful in form and design,
no two of them being alike. Each was made by an individual artist who

pleased himself as to the arrangement of the birds, animals, and
gracefully draped figures with which he decorated it. The famous
François vase at Florence is a marvelous example of this sixth century
workmanship; every inch of its closely adorned surface is covered with
carefully drawn figures in black, white, and purple. This particular
piece was probably made by two Athenian artists, as it shows two
distinct types of work. Think how fortunate we are to have had it come
down to us unbroken through the tumult of the years!"
Mr. Croyden gazed thoughtfully into the fire.
"You know that at the time these exquisite vases were made the entire
Greek nation was devoting itself to the fashioning of beautiful things.
Sculptors were carving wonderful statues, toiling eagerly to make each
piece more perfect in form; architects were rearing such buildings as
the world has never since seen; and in the centre of Athens a district
was reserved which was entirely occupied by the shops of potters and
painters and known as the ceramicus. It is from this ancient word that
our present day term ceramics is derived. Within this area devoted to
the making of pottery the artists worked, each one reverently bending
his energy to give to the world a thing which should be as nearly
perfect in form and decoration as he could make it. Thousands of vases
went out, many of them into the homes of rich, beauty-loving Greeks;
many into the temples; and many into Athenian tombs; for the people
of this nation always loyally honored their dead. In addition to these
vases there were smaller articles--perfume bottles, jars for wine or
water, utensils used at ceremonials in the temples; and the beautiful
amphora, a vase given as a prize at the great Greek festivals, and the
progenitor of the silver cups we now give the winners in athletic games.
This latter type of vase had two handles and frequently its base was
tapered to a point in order that it might rest in a tripod, or be thrust into
the earth. At the Louvre in Paris there is a very famous Greek amphora
which I hope you will see some day."
"I should like to see it," declared Theo eagerly.
"I intend you shall, son," put in Dr. Swift. "I mean to give you the
chance to see all the finest things in the world, if I have my way."

Theo smiled gratefully into his father's face.
"When we marvel at the grace and perfection of Greek decoration we
must bear in mind that as a spur to their artistic sense the people had
beauty constantly before them. Theirs was a country of smiling skies,
of blue heaven and golden sunshine; their buildings breathed the very
essence of all that is highest in art; even the throngs that filled the
streets were picturesque and classic in appearance. For in those days
fashions of dress did not change as capriciously as they do now. A
beautiful style of costume was adopted and retained, and in
consequence artists had ever before them men and women who were
excellent models for chaste decoration. In our time such a procedure
would be impossible, as the national dress of both our men and women
has become utilitarian rather than beautiful, and now has little artistic to
recommend it. If we wish classic draperies and faultless styles of
hair-dressing we must revert to the past for our models."
There was a silence broken only by the snapping of the fire.
"To give you some idea how much of this pottery the Greeks turned out
I must tell