Greek Vase Painting: A History Of 1000 Years Of, Text And Notes By P. E. Arias, Photographs By Max Hirmer, Translated And Revised By Shefton, Color And Monochrome Plates Printed In Germany, Text Printed In The Netherlands

"This book is intended not only for the learned reader but also for a much wider public of art lovers and our introductory essay may serve as a first guide for those new to this field, though the beauty of the plates will attract the layman no less than the expert. The descriptive catalogue and commentary following the plates attempts to interpret individual vase pictures and give other relevant comments. A selected list of bibliographical references is given after each entry. This rich selection of representative works presented here could never have been brought together and shown by new photographs specially taken but for the generous cooperation of colleagues and the keepers of museums and other collections; our gratitude is due to them in the first instance. Their names will be found below in Professor Hirmer's introductory note as author of the photographic section of this book. One name must be particullarly mentioned in gratitude, a scholar to whom the whole science of Greek archeology and particularly vase painting owes a profound debt, Sir John Beazley. His untiring efforts to identify the work and deepen our understanding of individual artists and schools has revolutionized our knowledge and appreciation of Attic vases especially. His work carried on over a lifetime with humility and patience is the foundation of our approach to the subject. Finally it is a particular pleasure to thank my fellow author, Professor Max Hirmer, for the enthusiasm, devotion, and exceptional talents, which he has brought towards the making of the pictorial documentation of the book. We hope that this work will be useful to scholars as a collection of good photographs and to the wider public as a means to a greater awareness and love of classical art in all its beauty and harmony." [from preface by Paolo Enrico Arias]