1956–1957

Jan.31, 1956

Dear Christophis,

The drawings arrived this morning and I am very pleased with them. You have a good eye and a neat careful style. However, if I had been there while you were doing them, I should have asked you to indicate the decoration on some of the pots, so that I could completely dispense with publishing a photo and use only your drawing to illustrate the object. Do you have any objections if I fill in, or have someone fill in, an indication of the decoration (from photographs) on the following list of drawings you did: P 1740,1742,1753,1759,2228,2238,2244,2263,2265,2760. Most of this is very simple, just adding bands. They can be done in dots to separate them from your work, if you like.

To prevent the same difficulty arising with the list of pots you have to do in Nicosia, I shall give you now a list of those pots where the decoration should be shown:

P227 (side view only) 230 231 233 236 248 870 972 974 (side view only) 978 1324-1329 1350 1351 1354, 1359 1361,1365,1365 1372 2752

The remainder can be done as you did those in Episkopi.

That is the only problem which arises in connection with the drawings except one which is my fault entirely, because I did not specify which view I wanted. In the case of the pilgrim flasks what I really wanted was not a front view, but a side view like this:

Drawing: pilgrim flask side view

I fear I'll have to ask you to do side views of the following pots at Episkopi: P1203, 2257, 2879 and 2877. To make up for this you may omit the following four pots from the extra work list of those to be done at Nicosia: P183,1353,1385,1386.

As for P957, which you couldn't find, might this not be at Nicosia? It is a big krater with fishes on it. P2204 and P2209, which you also couldn't find in the sceptre tomb (perhaps this has gone to Nicosia). The first is a big amphora in the sceptre tomb. The second is a lenticular flask from Jupiter. If you do find these, you need do them in profile only, making the lenticular flask a side-view.

On the drawing I notice you have 2 handles on P2260. Would you please double-check this to be sure there were two and not one (as the photo seems to suggest). Perhaps Christo could mend P2264 so that you can draw it.

I'm sorry all this has become so difficult but of course there's no way to avoid a certain amount of that when you're there and I'm here.

A very thorough search of all drawings at the museum failed to turn up either a drawing of tracing of A6. There is a sketch in Daniel's notebook but I dont think this is adequate for publication. I think if you make a drawing of one side only and just tell me what the thickness is, that will suffice.

Best regards

Handwritten: Jack Benson