DIVIDING UP OF DESIGNS: FRESCO CHARACTERISTIC 117

feline animal hunting the water-birds wanting. On a haematite intaglio
from the Merabella Province, East of Knossos (Fig. 68) \ of spirited
design, a cat in a papyrus thicket seizes a flying duck by the joint of the

wing, like the Chita on the dagger-
blade (Coloured Plate XX, a). As
there, too,—to complete the parallel in
detail—a papyrus spray fills the angle.
On another similar stone (Fig. 69) the
cat springs on the bird from behind,
who looks back too late.

A suggestive feature in the com- Duality of

. - . . r . . , -. r scenes on

position on either side 01 the blade of aagg(

the dagger presenting the duck-hunt-
ing scenes is the clearly marked inten-
tion in each case to depict two parallel
or successive episodes rather than one
continuous composition. The ease
with which the whole can be dichoto-
mized is illustrated by the Coloured Plate, where it has facilitated repro-
duction in two sections.

This duality again strikes the eye in the case of the dagger illustrating

ggers.

Fig. 67. Clay Sealing found near
'Arsenal', Knossos.

Fig. 68. Haematite Amygdaloid, Merabella. Fig. 69. Haematite Amygdaloid (Crete).

the lion-hunt described below, and in the companion piece of the lion
hunting gazelles. Elsewhere a triple division is as clearly marked. We see
it in the blade with the three coursing lions, and again in the restored
design of three swimmers shown in Fig. 81 below. On the Vapheio Cups
a triple division is recognizable in both cases.

This repeated practice of cutting up a subject that might well have
been represented as continuous into two or three sections easily explains

1 In my Collection.

Also

division

into

three—

as on

Vapheio

Cups.

Dividing

up of

designs

reflects