Designs From Greek Vases In The British Museum Edited By A.S. Murray Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities

British Museum

RA Collection: Book

Record number

07/3784

Author

Imprint

London:: Printed By Order Of The Trustees And Sold At The 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, 1894

Physical Description

[4], 16 p., leaves 17-31, 15 leaves carrying 62 pasted-in prints: 9 illus.; 435 mm. (Folio.)

Contents

[T.p.] - Preface - [Text, 'Date And Artistic Qualities Of The Vases'] - [Plates, and descriptive letterpress].

Responsibility Note

In his Preface Murray states that the 'descriptions have been drawn up by Mr. Cecil Smith, Assistant in the Department.'

The plates and illustrations are unsigned.

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 red-figure, ancient, Greek vases. Such vases were produced from ca. 530 to ca. 330 B.C. in Greece and southern Italy. In the Preface Murray writes: 'To obtain adequate reproductions, it was necessary to transfer the photographs to process-blocks, and to print from them on a paper prepared with a terra-cotta colour resembling that of the vases.'

Most of the subjects shown are taken from ancient Greek myths.

Provenance

See 'List of Books Purchased and Presented', RA Annual Report for 1895, p. 35.

The title page is stamped, 'Presented By The Trustees Of The British Museum' and the title-label on the upper cover is inscribed in pencil, 'JEH', i.e. John Evan Hodgson RA, who served as the Librarian of the Royal Academy from 1882 until his death on 19 June 1895.

Binding Note

19th-century quarter green cloth, green papered boards, upper cover carrying white label printed 'Designs From Greek Vases In The British Museum'; spine unlettered.

Name as Subject

Subject

Mythology, Greek - Iconography - History
Vase paintings, Greek - Red-figure - Paintings, Greek - Vases, Greek - Pottery, Greek - Greece - History - 6th century B.C. - 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
Bernard Quaritch, bookseller
Sir Cecil Harcourt-Smith, author
British Museum, publisher, bookseller, previous owner, donor?
Longmans and Company (London), bookseller
Asher and Company, bookseller
Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Company, bookseller
Oxford University Press, bookseller