Fig. 213.
Fig. 214.
Fig. 215.
This Durobrivian pottery is especially interesting, from its being covered with ornaments and figures, in relief, like those on the Samian ware, but not like it cast from moulds. “The vessel,” Mr. Artis remarks, “after being thrown upon the wheel, would be allowed to become somewhat firm, but only sufficiently so for the purpose of the lathe. In the indented ware, the indenting would have to be performed with the vessel in as pliable a state as it could be taken from the lathe.” The ornamenter then took a slip of rather liquid material, and with an implement made for the purpose, formed all the ornaments and figures with the hand. The slip used for this purpose was often white, which was laid on a dark ground. “The vessels, on which are displayed a variety of hunting subjects, representations of fishes, scrolls, and human figures, were all glazed after the figures were laid on; where, however, the decorations are white, the vessels were glazed before the ornaments were added. Ornamenting with figures of animals was effected by means of sharp and blunt skewery instruments, and a slip of suitable consistency. These instruments seem to have been of two kinds: one thick enough to carry sufficient slip for the nose, neck, body, and front thigh; the other of a more delicate kind, for a thinner slip for the tongue, lower jaws, eye, fore and hind legs, and tail. There seems to have been no retouching after the slip trailed from the instrument.”
Of the forms of mere ornamentation of this ware, the scroll ornaments appear to have been the most popular. The arrangement and combination of the scrolls, which are sufficiently varied, are often both tasteful and very effective. In the cut ([fig. 216]) I have selected two examples of the most common forms of this kind of ornamentation, and others I show on the following engravings, figs. [217], [218], and [219], and again on figs. [213], [214], and [215].
Fig. 216.