tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3638837144278661276.post-85882275940133088832007-10-15T11:01:00.000-04:002007-10-15T11:01:00.000-04:00Dear David,<BR/>Thank you for the links. It is interesting to see how this review of Roger Atwood's book, for which you provided a link, misrepresents the book, Artful Crafts, by Vickers and Gill (1994) and Vickers' other articles. Clearly, these works were not intended to dissuade contemporary collectors from collecting ancient Greek vases, but rather to address a purely academic question: 'how were painted vases used and regarded by contemporary viewers?' I recall from my Vase Painting Seminar that we studied Vickers and Gill and the arguments surrounding the ceramic imitation of metal vessels and we never discussed anything about contemporary collecting; it was/is a purely academic debate. Contrary to the "review's" assessment, the debate on the issues the book raises is far from settled and scholars can come down on either side of the issue. I even had an examination question on these issues on my doctoral comprehenisve examinations - and one doesn't get easy questions for which there is an obvious and easy answer. It is distressing that some are willing to skew serious academic research and misrepresent its purpose in order to promote an agenda in Washington.<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>NathanNathan T. Elkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060145336179440359noreply@blogger.com