White Athenian Vases In The British Museum By A.S. Murray, Ll.D., F.S.A. Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities And A.H. Smith, M.A., F.S.A. Assistant in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities

British Museum

RA Collection: Book

Record number

07/3783

Author

Imprint

London:: Printed By Order Of The Trustees And Sold At The British Museum And By Longmans And Co., 39 Paternoster Row B. Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly; Asher And Co., 13 Bedford Street, Covent Garden Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner And Co., Charing Cross Road And The Oxford University Press, Amen Corner, 1896

Physical Description

10 p., folios 11-37, 27 pl.: illus.; 430 mm. (Folio.)

Contents

[T.p.] - Preface - Introduction - [Plates and descriptive texts].

Responsibility Note

The plates and illustrations are unsigned. The Preface states that the cyclograph by which the photographic plates were made was invented by A.H. Smith.

The text printer is named on the title-page verso: 'London: Printed By William Clowes And Sons, Limited, Stamford Street And Charing Cross.'

Summary Note

The plates show paintings on white-ground Athenian vases; which were made from ca. 520 to ca. 400 B.C. The subjects shown on the vases are taken from ancient Greek myths.

In his Preface A.S. Murray states that most plates 'have been reproduced from negatives taken by means of the cyclograph, an apparatus invented ... with the view of obtaining absolutely correct photographic copies of paintings on vases of a cylindrical shape.' The illustrations in the letter-press text show side views of whole vases.

Provenance

The title-page is stamped, 'Presented By The Trustees Of The British Museum'; receipt of the book is recorded in the 'List of Books Purchased and Presented' appended to the 'Librarian's Report', RA Annual Report for 1897, p. 41).

Binding Note

19th-century quarter brown cloth, fawn papered boards, upper cover carrying white label printed 'White Athenian Vases In The British Museum'; spine unlettered.

Name as Subject

Subject

Mythology, Greek - Iconography - History
Vase paintings - Paintings - Vases, Greek - Pottery - Lecythi - Jugs (vessels) - Greece - Attica - Athens - History - 5th century B.C. - 4th century B.C.
Collections - Great Britain - London - 19th century
Art history - Catalogues - Great Britain - 19th century
Pictorial works - Photomechanical prints - Great Britain - 19th century

Contributors

Alexander Stuart Murray, author
Arthur Hamilton Smith, author, photographer
Bernard Quaritch, bookseller
British Museum, publisher, bookseller
Longmans and Company (London), bookseller
Asher and Company, bookseller
Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Company, bookseller
Oxford University Press, bookseller