Charles de CLARAC (1777-1847), archaeologist,... Lot 385

Charles de CLARAC (1777-1847), archaeologist, curator of antiques at the Musée du Louvre from 1818 to his death. Autograph letter signed to Jean-Antoine Letronne (1787-1848), Hellenistic philologist, epigraphist and archaeologist. 2 pp. in-8. Dated "Oct. 12". Address on back. Beautiful letter on the inscription of an antique vase preserved in the Louvre. He won't be able to get to the Museum before 4 a.m., but "as you have your own entrance, I will tell you that the vase you wish to examine is on the table in the large vase room at the Charles X Museum. It's a Basilicata campane, about a foot high, of fairly good design and with a good varnish. The subject consists of two old fauns with long tails and two bacchantes, one of whom is very pretty, sitting between the legs of a faun also seated and leaning on an amphora [...]. I went back and copied the inscription, I had omitted a line on the 2nd line". He recopies the inscription and tries his hand at interpretations. I don't think so, because it would be the same number everywhere. These [Greek inscriptions] may well be campanes, whose shape is very similar to that of the Gerhard and Panofka craters, and equally well suited to the mixing of water and wine. If ever it was done in such underfired and fragile vases. What would lead me to believe that the word [Greek inscription] would designate the vase the workman had on hand is that he names it first. If it were proved that the name indicates campanes, it would be a definite designation for a very numerous class of vases, and we would have the craterisque, the crateridian for small vases of this kind [...]".