ALABASTER
ALABASTER jars were used in the old days to contain pigments, ointment,
kohl, and similar commodities. They were also placed in large numbers in
the graves, hence the quantity that comes into the market. The price is
moderate, from a few shillings to several pounds, and one would hardly
have thought it worth while for the forgers to copy them; yet it is now
regularly done. But there is something about the old alabaster jar or
pot which makes it somewhat easier to distinguish from forgeries than is
the case with scarabs. In the old pots there are certain irregularities
of make, a kind of lumpiness from the way in which they were cut out.
The pots are thin and drilled out to the bottom with the bow-drill, and
the outsides are worn. Forgeries are made on the lathe, and are turned
out regular in shape. They are thicker, heavier, and not drilled down to
the bottom. The work on the interior is rough, and gives signs of having
been hastily done. Some of the smaller pots are made in two halves, an
upper and a lower, and joined by a cement about the middle. Sometimes
old pots are recut or re-shaped, in order to give them a better
appearance. The ones most difficult to tell from the originals are those
made with the old bow-drill, for here comes in the slight irregularity
of shape, and the work approaches much more nearly to that of the
ancient Egyptians, as it is most probable that the originals were made
in the same way.
[Illustration: PLATE IX. ALABASTER. 1, 3, 4, 6 & 8. Kohl pots. 2. A
head, Greek period. 5, 7 & 9. Vases. 10 & 11. Bowls.]
Plate IX shows various kinds of alabaster pots, all of which are
forgeries. Of recent years, a demand has arisen for heads carved out of
alabaster. As it is quite certain that the value of these would be
considerable, were they genuine antīcas, and the supply would be
extremely small, the Egyptian has stepped in, and is endeavouring to
supply the want after his fashion. Fig. 2 shows a head in alabaster. The
style is of the Greek period. The workmanship is only fair, and
carelessly done, the ears not having been formed at all. However, it
represents a period when Egyptian Art was declining.
* * * * *
I remember an up-river man, who was employed on an excavation, picking
up a piece of stone, and in his spare time fashioning a head out of it
with his knife. Later on he showed it to his employer. The excavator
looked at it grimly for a few moments. Then, remarking that the man was
far too clever to be a simple workman on a digging, he discharged him
and sent him back to his village.
A few years ago some life-sized alabaster statues of Mykerinos, the
builder of the Third Pyramid, were found by the Harvard University
Expedition. They had been considerably mutilated, but some of them were
put together, and fortunately the heads were but little damaged. The
statues showed three periods in the life of Mykerinos: youth, early
manhood, and then a rather later period. The workmanship was exquisite,
and the value of the statues was enormous.
It is safe to say that this discovery has not been lost sight of by the
spurious antiquity makers, as alabaster is a soft stone to work in, and
offers a fair scope for the exhibition of their talent. I have already
been shown a very rough copy in alabaster of what one of these spurious
antiquity makers called the features of Mykerinos. Fortunately they
presented no resemblance, a fact which I did not impart to him.
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