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Maria C. Shaw |
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With its rich pictorial record and its detailed discussions
by Mabel L. Lang, the publication in 1969 of the frescoes from the Palace
at Pylos continues to be a mine of information enabling further exploration
and of the mural themes. The present paper focuses on what appears to
be a textile pattern. This consists of a network of undulating lines,
each lozenge unit using a papyrus flower as a filler. Of particular interest
is the type of drafting device used by the ancient artist to help replicate
the design. The device, up to now, is essentially limited in its use to
Crete. This leads to the question of possible transmission or inspiration
from Crete on the basis of Minoan comparanda that the speaker has recently
examined and published in some detail. The location of the Pylian fragment
in a dump outside the palace suggests that it may have belonged to a composition
proceeding in date the paintings found within the building itself. Conceivably,
this was the very time when, according to recent research by Michael Nelson,
certain Minoan architectural features were also in use at Pylos.
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