Vezető a Déri Múzeum kiállításaihoz II. A Déri gyűjtemények. 2. javított kiadás (Debrecen, 2001)

123 THE EGYPTIAN, GREEK AND ROMAN COLLECTIONS THE ORIENTAL COLLECTION OF THE DÉRI MUSEUM In the last display case, among the simple, unpainted pots, the so-called embossed terra-sigillata pots, made in the Gallic workshops, are remarkable. At the back wall, Hellenic and Roman statues, a tomb, and an altar are exhibited. The vases are placed in the middle of the hall. The most outstanding one among them is a slim, double-handled loutroforos. This kind of pot was used at the wedding ceremonies when the bride was given a bath. The small, cylindrical, narrownecked lekhiitos was mainly used at the funeral ceremonies. Following the decline of the Athenean vase painting, these pots were copied in the SouthItalian workshops. A nice example of the ornamental style is the column-crater, with handles ending in discs and with heads of goddesses painted in white and yellow. The oriental collection of the Déri Museum is the most complete one next to those in the Ferenc Hopp Far-Eastern Art Museum and the Ethnographical Museum in Budapest. Frigyes Déri was inspired by an enlightened didactic point of view in its foundation, namely, that it should facilitate wider access to the culture and art of the whole world. A more serious collecting and investigating effort of Asian art commenced in Europe in the second half of the 19th century, and Deri's collecting activity complemented this movement. The present staff of the museum are eager to improve the oriental collection according to the founder's wish. The majority of the collection is arranged in groups of exhibits, according to which countries or artistic form they belong to. The Far-Eastern silks and ceramics displayed at the entrance represent the products of two inventions of Chinese origin and artistic form. They were popular even