MUSEUM POTTERY

Evening Star, Issue 21170, 2 August 1932, Page 13

MUSEUM POTTERY

LECTURE BY MR H. D. SKINNER ‘ Pottery, Classical and Pre-classical, in the Museum Collection ’ was the subject of a well-attended address given at the Otago Museum last evening by Mr H. IX Skinner (lecturer in ethnology at the University of Otago). The meeting, which was held under the joint auspices of the Classical Association and the archaeological branch of the Otago Institute, was presided over by Mr Willi Pels. Mr Skinner, who illustrated his remarks with an attractive array of museum pottery placed on tiers in front of the audience, took as his central theme the group represented by the fine art of the Attic pottery—the final achievement of Greek plastic art. His opening remarks dealt with Egyptian pieces which constituted a prelude to the Greek period, and finally he concentrated on Etruscan and _ Roman ware, the manufacture of which succeeded the Greek ora. Lantern slides interspersed through the lecture cast further interesting light on the art of the various periods. The lecturer said that many features of culture in the /Egean world ran back to Egypt, where the work of Sir Flinders Petrie had given them the whole framework of their knowledge of predynastic pottery. Prior to 1920 predynastic pottery had been divided into three parts, but in 1925 Mr Guy Brunton discovered another period, which was represented by the Badarian ware. In dealing with the methods adopted in moulding this ware Mr Skinner said that included among the specimens so made were some of the oldest and best pieces known in Egypt. Egypt must have seen the dawn of civilisation or have been very near to it; but it was claimed,,by some authorities that this distinction belonged to Mesopotamia, it was his opinion that in the Nile Valley some pottery forerunning the Badarian ware would probably be found yet.

In dealing with the art of Crete and Cyprus tiie lecturer went on to say that it was from Egypt that a knowledge of the art of pottery spread to the /Egean. The history of civilisation in Cyprus hud not been so thoroughly worked out as in Egypt, and there wore no relics there of an uncivilised race. After referring to the various decorative designs on Cypriote pottery ho showed lantern slides depicting the beauty of some of the early Cretan pottery, including specimens from Knossos. It was clearly indicated that as the art of decoration progressed it freed itself from the trammels of geometric rendering and led up to floral, marine life, and other designs. The address concluded with an interesting talk on Etruscan and Roman ware, the lecturer stating that the Roman work had a good deal loss merit than the Greek, and that what merit it had was duo to the Greek forerunners. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to .Mr Skinner for his address.