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C
Painter, Greece, ca. 575-555 BCE
Siana Cup [Drinking Vessel], ca. 570-565 BCE
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Athenian painter of this large drinking cup is referred to
as the C Painter because he clearly borrowed numerous artistic
ideas from Corinth, the rival manufacturing center of fine
ware pottery. Both themes that appear on this cup are borrowed:
the hoplite, or armed infantryman, on the inside of the cup,
and the betrothal scenes on the outer rim. This painter designed
vases prior to the mid-6th century BCE, when Athenian painters
were still not entirely independent of Corinthian inspiration.
The term Siana refers to the decorative schemes, one in which
the subject covers the upper exterior around the handles,
and the other in which a large tondo or circular picture covers
the bottom of the interior. The design of the cup permitted
drinking either by tipping the vessel while holding the handles
with both hands or by slipping the fingers of one hand under
the bowl and around the pedestal. When the cup was filled,
the figure of the hoplite inside would seem to move. |
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Rycroft
Painter and Shop, Greece, ca. 520-500 BCE
Column Krater [Mixing Bowl], ca. 525-510 BCE
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four divinities assembled on one side of this krater appear
in different arrangements on numerous Attic vases of the 6th
and 5th centuries BCE. Apollo ascends in his chariot, observed
by his sister, Artemis, who holds her bow as goddess of the
hunt, and by their mother, Leto. Hermes, the patron of travelers,
steadies the team of horses and awaits Apollo's departure
so that he may guide the way. The rendering of both the anatomy
and spirit of the horses is more convincing than that of the
figures. Horses were a luxury in the 6th century BCE and were
prized by the Greeks far above all else in nature but man.
The subject on the opposite side of the bowl is Dionysos,
the god of wine, surrounded by followers of his cult. Surprisingly,
Dionysos is not as well drawn and painted as the excited satyr
beside him. The satyr, to the left of Apollo in the central
pairing, possesses by his placement a greater significance
in the composition than the god. Dionysos and the maenads
hold wine cups; Dionysos also commands a huge kantharos or
bottle. Most probably this scene was selected due to the function
of the vessel. A krater was used to mix wine and water for
use at social gatherings. |
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Roman
Empire, 31 BCE - 4th century CE
Portrait of a Bearded Roman [possibly Emperor Antoninus
Pius], mid-2nd century
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the irises were scored and the pupils slightly drilled in the
eyes of this life-size marble portrait, the identification of
the individual as the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius would be
almost certain. Antoninus, who was emperor from 138-161, oversaw
a prosperous, peaceful, secure, and powerful state and was the
last of the Roman emperors to do so, for economic and military
problems would gradually erode the loyalty and resolve of the
Roman people over the next centuries. This is the portrait either
of the emperor or of someone from the period of his reign who
resembled him very closely. The blocklike, stereometric projection
of the head is characteristic of Antoninus representations.
The cubic structure conveys a sense of force and latent power
in the image of the dictator-emperor, especially in combination
with a firm, quiet expression, the most typical public demeanor
for emperors during the initial two centuries of the Roman Empire.
The cutting through the neck precludes certainty as to whether
the head was originally a bust or part of a life-size statue. |
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Roman
Empire, 31 BCE - 4th century CE
Vertumnus, ca. 200-250
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| Vertumnus,
one of the numerous agricultural deities of the Roman world,
stands in his lion's skin, revealing the harvested bounty
of the fields. The good harvest is the hoped for result of
worshipers' prayers and sacrifices before this cult statue.
The pruning knife in the figure's right hand is the particular
attribute of this god and the tool used to cut the apple,
the cluster of grapes, and other fruit that he bears. As with
grander cult statues placed in temples, the god faces the
petitioner to receive prayers and hopes. Originally, the Vertumnus
figure may have stood on the back of, or above, an altar in
a private house or villa or possibly in a town shrine. Since
a probable 90% or more of the annual tax revenues of the Roman
state under the emperor came from farms and agricultural estates,
the pagan gods controlling agriculture were considered very
powerful, regardless of the size of their images. |
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