Page:History of Art in Phœnicia and Its Dependencies Vol 2.djvu/414

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

376 HISTORY OF ART IN PHOENICIA AND ITS DEPENDENCIES. their order, beginning with the head and descending by regular steps to the girdle. The heavy tresses of the daughters of Asia and Africa were only to be kept in place by strong rings and pins of metal. Here is a silver pin with a large round head of open work, not unlike those which bristle in the hair of peasant women in many parts of modern Italy (Fig. 293). Such a pin was assisted in its work of keeping the hair in place by certain metal rings, too large for finger rings and too small for bracelets. The use of these rings was discovered by the explorers of the Sardinian graveyards. " Upon one of these bronze rings, found by us in a tomb, the texture of the hair and of the veil by FlG. 292. Heads of Ammon, on a leaden plaque. One-fourth of actual size. 1 which the head had once been covered was imprinted upon the oxidized surface of the metal." 2 We ask ourselves whether certain trinkets, of which fine examples were found at Curium (P'igs. 294 and 296), should not be classed with these rings. 3 If we took them to be earrings we should be embarrassed by the fact that the face is 1 From PH. BERGER, La Trinit'e Carthaginotse, p. 6. 2 SPANO, Bullettino Archeologico Sardo, vol. iv. pp. in, 112. See also CRESPI, Catalogo, p. 143. 3 Except where otherwise declared, all the figures in this chapter represent the originals in their true size.