The National Museum of Athens is favored above all others. Not only does it possess incomparable ancient collections—found on the very soil of Greece and most often gathered during official excavations, ensuring their provenance is verified—but it also has the advantage of being meticulously studied by scholars. Thanks to their efforts, the museum benefits from methodical inventories that are constantly being enriched and refined.
The catalog dedicated to painted vases can be described as the work of the French School at Athens. As such, its history is interesting, almost venerable. It was begun in 1877 by Maxime Collignon, prior to the 1893 synoecism (unification) that brought the dusty collections of the Varvakeion and the Ministry of Public Instruction together in the vast current building on Patissia Street.
The Museum's Catalog: A French Scholarly Endeavor
The original catalog compiled by Maxime Collignon contained only 821 entries. However, the rapid growth of the collections, fueled by excavations in Athens, Tanagra, and Eretria, soon rendered this first census incomplete. In 1891, the late Louis Couve undertook a complete revision of the catalog. Illness prevented him from seeing the project to completion, which was abandoned in 1897. The work was eventually revived, completed by Collignon himself, and finally published in 1902.
Fourteen years later, this new framework also proved too narrow. An additional 1,363 pieces had been added to the already considerable number (around 2,000) that the second catalog had assembled, all awaiting their place in the established classifications. This meritorious task was undertaken by Georges Nicole, a former foreign member of the French School, who has recently brought it to a successful conclusion. In the preface to this new supplement, Collignon once again introduced the work, just as he had paid emotional tribute to the memory of L. Couve, but this time under happier circumstances. The name of one of the masters of French archaeology thus presides over this continuous effort, a project where three scholars collaborated. One might say he provides its unity, if not for the perfect convergence of views and methods across the successive books, which alone ensures the cohesion of the common enterprise, without prejudice to the progress of the science.
There is no need, especially after Mr. Collignon's introduction, to present the author of the Supplement here. Several scholarly monographs have already recommended him, particularly to ceramographers. If "it is the facts that praise," I prefer to show the public the value of the new contributions that Mr. Nicole offers us. The way the Athens museum has grown makes this review particularly interesting for the archaic periods preceding the red-figure style. Since nearly all the new series, as well as the reconstituted old ones, owe their most recent acquisitions to excavations, a comprehensive review of these novelties allows one to follow, almost step-by-step, the progress made in ceramic science over twenty years of early Greek history. I do not believe this journey will be disheartening for those who, in various places, dedicate their efforts to the study of ancient vases. In a relatively short time, the results have been beautiful. One can only hope they will convince the skeptics, among whom this field of research finds little favor.
A review of Nicole's useful Supplement reveals some areas for improvement in a future edition. The book is intended for the public, and its primary merit should be its convenience. A concordance table would have been welcome, allowing visitors to easily locate the cataloged pieces. As Mr. Nicole had to complete his work in Geneva, some inaccuracies that would have been corrected on-site remain. Artist signatures are not always reproduced correctly, and some errors have crept into the descriptions. It also happens that certain vases, despite having been on display for some time, are not mentioned, or their numbers do not match the inventory. One might be surprised, for example, to see vase 2255 described under no. 202 as a Mycenaean stirrup jar, when it appeared to me to be Hellenistic and bears a previously unpublished inscription. Furthermore, can the white-ground kantharos 2256 be cataloged both as a small Mycenaean spherical jug (no. 206) and as a double-shell balsamarium (no. 1262)? Regrettably, such examples could be multiplied. Some ceramics studied in the catalog (2239-2250) do not appear in the index. Finally, the color plates do not always provide an accurate idea of the original hues; the archaic Boeotian cothon 12337 (no. 872), reproduced with almost greenish tints, is in fact a light, slightly orange-red. Simple, less costly photographs might have allowed for more illustrations, which are so necessary for such works.