No.40SOME ROMAN CAMEOS（几枚罗马浮雕宝石）Have you ever collected old coins，old metal money of bronze or silver？Most boys have.Perhaps you would never think of such coins as a kind of sculpture，but that is what old coins are—pieces of low relief sculpture，and the Greeks used to make the most beautiful coins with heads or figures of famous people or gods on them in low relief.First they made a die which was a sunken relief，and then，with this die，coins were stamped out of metal—gold，silver or bronze.One difference between a coin and a gem is that a coin is made from a die and any number of coins all alike can be made from the one die，but there is only one of a gem.The coins of some countries to-day are really beautiful，but none quite so beautiful as those the old Greeks made.One reason for this is that our coins have to be made quite flat，in very low relief，so that they will stack in a pile，for this is necessary in our banks.But it was not necessary to stack the old Greek coins in piles and so they could be made，and were made，in higher relief.
Coins were，of course，used to buy things with，but there were old coin-like sculptures called medals that generally were larger and were not used as money.The figures on medals were often in higher relief and made by pouring the metal into a mold instead of by stamping the metal with a die.Usually such medals were made for prizes in athletic games or honors in war or to celebrate some great event.anniversary，or celebration.Medals of this kind are made to-day，so your father may have one to show you.
【中文阅读】
“你的财宝在哪里，你的心也就在那里”。我曾读一篇报道，介绍了一座公共建筑物的一组雕像。报纸说这组雕像重10吨。报道却没有评说雕像是否美观，只说有10吨重。煤炭堆也可以有10吨重呀。单凭尺寸并不能说明美。古希腊人刻过巨像，而且都很好看。他们也制作一些小雕，有些甚至小到必须拿放大镜才能发现美之所在。不久前，我在一座博物馆里看到一件这样的小雕。它重不超过1盎司，和多米诺骨牌一般大小。它用彩石制成，能穿透光。石雕上用浅浮刻了许多漂亮的希腊神像。这些图像都是用精细而锋利的工具刻制的。它是公元前一位默默无闻的古希腊雕刻家的作品，称作《宝石》。我们通常把那些非常珍贵的东西称作“宝石”，不管它多么小。
伦敦大英博物馆里有间屋子装满了这种公元前制作的“宝石”。这些“宝石”的雕刻家同那些雕刻真人大小以及巨像的雕刻家一样了不起。这些宝石小雕是专为国王和富人制作的，因为其他人根本付不起这昂贵的价格。很久以前富人们就喜欢收集这种宝石，就像今天的集邮以及博物馆和一些有支付能力的人藏珍一样。
这些刻在石头上的小型浅浮雕通常有两三层不同的色彩，就是说，浮雕上人物是一种颜色，背景又是另一种颜色。如果石头一层是黑色，另外一层是白色，就称作“黑玛瑙”。如果石头上层是红色，下层是黑白色，就叫“红条纹玛瑙”。有些先从两层或多层不同彩石切割后再进行粘制或从人工条纹玛瑙切割制成。这种浅浮雕被称作浮雕珠宝饰物，有的非常漂亮。今天，人们用双色贝壳制作浮雕珠宝饰物，叫做“贝壳浮雕”。
女士们曾经流行用贝壳浮雕作胸针，或许祖母们就用过刻有头像的胸针呢。有些瓷器在蓝色背景上刻着白色浮雕一样的人物。有些贝壳浮雕用两种不同颜色的玻璃制成。大英博物馆里收藏了一个著名的花瓶，叫“波特兰花瓶”。它用蓝色玻璃制成，上面的浮雕是用白色玻璃刻的。多年前，有个狂人，只为炫耀，把花瓶扔到地上砸成碎片。幸好人们把碎片从地上捡起，重新粘结。修复品很成功，几乎看不出破损。
公元前还有一种“宝石”曾大量生产。宝石上图案呈凹型，而非凸状。这种凹型宝石称作“印章”或“凹雕”。这种印章是用蜡印图案，就是说这些凹型浮雕就凸印在蜡上。人们用印章可以任意印图案。当时，买得起这种印章的人都有一个印有独特图案的印章，可以将任何属于自己的东西盖上章，以供辨识。
过去人们不知如何书写或签名时，这些代替签名的印章就得以大量使用。有时把印章镶在戒指上，主人随身携带，以防他人盗用。这种戒指称作“印章戒指”，意思是“签名的戒指”。有时候又不把印章镶在戒指上，而放在某个安全之处，这样来防止盗用。
你集过旧硬币、旧铜币或银币吗？大多数男孩都集过吧。我们可能从未想过这些硬币是一种雕刻，因为旧硬币的确是一种浅浮雕。古希腊人喜欢用浅浮雕来制作精美的硬币，上刻名人像或神像或头像。他们先做一个刻有浅浮雕的模具，再用模具印出许多金属硬币——金币、银币或铜币。硬币和宝石的一个不同之处在于，硬币是由模具印出的，相同的硬币可以由一个模具印出。但宝石却是独一无二的。今天，有些国家把硬币铸得很漂亮，但还是比不上古希腊人制的硬币。其中一个原因是我们现在的硬币做得太平，图案太浅，应银行之需，便于叠放。但在古希腊，硬币不需要叠放，所以图案可以刻得更深些。
毫无疑问，硬币的作用是购物。但有一种古老的、像硬币一样的雕刻，称作“勋章”，它尺寸更大一些，但不当钱用。勋章上的图案通常是高浮雕，是把金属倒进模子里制成，而不是用模具印出来。这些勋章通常用作体育比赛的奖励，或战争中的立功授勋，或用在大事件、周年纪念或庆典中。今天我们也制作这种勋章，所以你爸爸说不定就有一枚勋章，叫他拿出来给你看看。
BAKED EARTH SCULPTURE
陶土雕刻
TERRA COTTA means earth baked.A flower pot and a brick are terra cotta—that is，earth or clay baked till it is red，yellowish red.You have probably made things out of mud—oranges and apples，cups and saucers—and the old Greeks made figures of people in the same way and out of the same thing，mud or clay.They made little statues of women，smaller than doll babies，out of clay，and then baked them so that they would not crumble to pieces.That baking turned them into terra cotta.
It was the custom to place these little figures or little statues—figurines and statuettes，they were called—in tombs and graves and thousands of them have been dug up and are now in museums.As they were first dug up in a town in Greece named Tanagra，all such statuettes are called Tanagra figurines.They are usually figures of ladies carrying a fan or a parasol.Yes，the Greek ladies had fans and parasols very like the ones ladies have nowadays.What is unusual in Greek sculpture is that the figures are fully clothed.
Most of the statuettes are original，but some of them are copies of large statues.As many of the large statues have disappeared，these figurine copies show us what the originals looked like.But they show us more than that.If you want to find out what the Greeks really were like，go to a museum and look at these little figures.The big，famous marble statues are of gods and goddesses，athletes and warriors.They were more nearly perfect than real people.But these terra cotta statuettes are copied from everyday Greeks.They show us what the real Greeks were like.One shows a girl milking a cow.Another shows two girls playing a game，with one riding on the back of the other.Just everyday doings.
No.41TANAGRA FIGURINES（《塔纳格拉小雕像》）Courtesy of Pratt Institute
Many of the figurines were painted in bright colors.Some had tiny necklaces of real gold or held bronze ornaments in their hands.But on many of them the only color left is the yellowish red of the clay of which they are formed.
The figurines are hollow except for their heads，which are solid clay.I’m sure your head has more in it than solid clay，no matter how hollow the rest of you may feel just before dinner time.