The noble amphora from Curium, figured by Di Cesnola,[7124] contains above forty representations of horses, and nearly as many of birds.

The shape of the horse is exceedingly conventional, the whole form being attenuated in the highest degree; but the animal is drawn with spirit, and the departure from nature is clearly intentional.

In the animals that are pasturing, the general attitude is well seized; the movement is exactly that of the horse when he stretches his neck to reach and crop the grass.[7125] In the birds there is equal spirit and greater truth to nature: they are in various attitudes, preening their feathers, pecking the ground, standing with head erect in the usual way.

Other vases contain figures of cows, goats, stags, fish and birds of various kinds, while one has an attempt at a hippopotamus.

The attempts to represent the human form are certainly not happy; they remind us of the more ambitious efforts of Chinese and Japanese art..