Greek Vase Analysis

he Harvester’s Vase, a fascinating 3500 year old stone sculpture from the Aegean Bronze Age was a product of cultural interactions between the Minoans and the outside world. The vase is “unprecedented” in ancient art history due in part to the animated facial features and accurate human anatomy, thanks to the Minoans long history in making art and their mercantile economy. While Mycenaeans and Hellenic Greeks are more well-known and studied, Minoans played a huge in part in laying the foundations of Western art. Discovered in ruins of the Hagia Triada on the island of Crete. The Harvester’s vase was created around 1500 to 1450 BC, the vase is unique in that it is one of the few well preserved artifacts of the Minoan Kamares where they have

Through further research, I have learned that this vase “depicts the heroes Achilles and Ajax playing a board game” (Two-Handled Jar with Achilles and Ajax).

This rhyton was used during the Late Minoan II period during the Prehistoric Aegean Bronze Age for religious rituals and libation purposes, in which the hollow vase was filled with liquid offerings. It is a depiction of a bull’s head, which represents the connection that the Minoans made with their natural surroundings. The maximum dimensions of the vase are 9.5 by 13.9 centimeters. The material the vessel consists of terracotta as

Compare to another vase from the textbook in chapter 5, page 121, Andokides Painter, Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (Athenian bilingual amphora), from Orvieto, Italy, ca. 525-520 BCE. Black figure side (left) and red-figure side (right). It is 1’ 9” high, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This two sides of vase shows both black-figure and red-figure in one vase. It has two handles painted in red and black-figure on the shoulder. The differences between the two techniques can best be studied on a series of experimental vases with the same composition painted on one black and one red-figure. According to the textbook,

The durability of clay has brought forth an immense abundance of Greek pottery, a craft mastered by Athenian artists. Archeologists have found hundreds of varieties in creation, shape, function, style, and artwork in Archaic vases. The museum has been blessed with one of these priceless artifacts; it is the duty of this establishment to accumulate as much data as possible surrounding the vase. In first identifying technique, dimensions, and condition, as well as describing shape, ornament, and figural scenery, one may then begin to analyze the vase. This serves the general purpose of understanding where the artifact stands in Greek culture and history. Through the examination and research of figural scenes, it is then possible to compare

The vase is used in the short story as an object that is used for hiding the photograph. The vase is referenced throughout the story. Not only does Murayama hide the photograph initially in the vase, but when the woman hears her husband come home, she laid down “The photograph face up so that its darker hue might blend with the color of the vase’s interior” (434). The vase symbolizes the nature of hiding, in this case she is hiding the photograph in the vase, because she does not

A lekythos is an ancient Greek vase made of ceramic; the plural of lekythos is lekythoi (Reference #2). It has a narrow neck, single handle, and is tall with a small, deep mouth (Reference #7). The lekythos was used as a flask, used to hold olive oil and perfumes (Reference #1), and were developed in ancient Athens during the fifth century. In Classical Athens, lekythoi were painted in white ground with figurative scenes. White ground is a form of art used by Athenians in which they created the vase, fired it, and then the lekythos was painted in white. The figures and scenes were then painted on top of the white ground. This method meant that the paintings did not last as well, but were very beautiful in their original

The scene on the vase shows only a part of the woman present on the far right. Additionally, this woman is wearing a crown. The person who is holding the hammer seems to be moving his arm towards the woman. The person left of center is facing the man on the far left and it looks like they are conversing. On the basis of Hesiod’s text people depicted on this vase, from right to left, are Pandora, Hephaestus, Hermes and Zeus. There are numerous attributes that allow the identification of these characters. Pandora in Hesiod’s text is being made using mud, which might answer why only a part of the woman is shown on the vase. Furthermore, the woman depicted on the vase is wearing a crown and Hesiod’s text mentions “crowned her (Pandora) head with spring flowers,” (Hesiod) these two things allow me to identify this woman as

The myth of the Labors of Hercules started when King Eurystheus gave Hercules the task of slaying the Nemean Lion. The vase, Neck-Amorpha, was made in 515-510 BC. The painter, though unknown, is attributed to what is known as the Berlin painter. Any work of art of this time period has a sort of reason as to why it is made. This could be to bring on some sort of emotion, action, or worship. It also can be to bring life and picture to a myth, like Neck-Amorpha has done. Before diving into some of the reasoning's and importance of this vase, the Berlin Painter must be recognized for who they were.

It is uncertain if the Etruscans prized the container as a luxury vase for the commodity that was shipped inside. Possibly they consumed the grain, wine or olive oil cleaned it and used as decoration (Martin 75-241). The amphora during the Classical and Hellenistic periods held about five gallons; however, they varied in size depending on the commodity being held. They were fabricated so they could be arranged upright on ships and horizontally by the end user. There was a plethora of amphora handles found in archeological sites, at least 130,000 in Athens and Alexandria. This quantity validates how ubiquitous they were in the ancient world, and how common in daily life they became (“Ancient” Garland). According to Stokstad and Cothren, to create a black-figure vase an artist follows this technique, “apply a slip to the surface of the pot and carefully manipulate the firing process in a kiln to control the amount of oxygen reaching the ceramics. This firing process involved three stages. In the first stage, oxygen was allowed into the kiln, which fixed the whole vessel in one overall shade of red depending on the composition of the clay. Then, in the reduction stage, the oxygen in the kiln was reduced to the minimum, turning the vessel black, and the temperature was raised to the point at which the slip partially became glasslike.

Hellenistic sculpture became more varied in subject matter and style. This period of time was “characterized by a strong sense of history” (Hemingway). This era is known for its innovation, expansion

During this period, the “aryballos” was produced, the plural of which is “aryballoi”, essentially an artisan-made cup that is recognized for its high craftsmanship, elevating it to art status. It was made of a fine ceramic fabric, and was both rich in color and also texture. The production of the piece was made possible through the possession of the nation state of ceramic technology. The piece indicated that at this particular time in Greek history, the capacity to manipulate the kiln and firing environment was present. The creation of fine pottery exhibits the possession of the skill and technology to do so, in addition to a demand in the market for

Pausanias mentions many statues at Sparta and it is likely that the majority of these would be made from bronze. This reveals the importance of culture in Spartan society at the time. The archaeological evidence of The Vix Crater, used for mixing water and wine and weighing two hundred kilograms, suggests that it was made for display instead of practical use [Brennan, 2007]. It is decorated with hoplites and shields, where this expresses the importance of military in Sparta. According to Herodotus there was a huge bronze bowl made as a present for the wealthy King of Kroisos of Lydia in Asia Minor, where it was large enough to

Thanks to pop culture most of us associate the curse with some kind of long acting entity that goes down throughout the generations. While this can be the case it is very rare. For a curse to occur you need to focus all the negative emotions, energy and will you are feeling onto another person. This is not a once and done situation, for a curse to survive it must be continually fed negative energy. This means that eventually most curses will fade. If a curse does manage to be fed this negativity for an extended period of time we can begin to see things such as cursed objects or long acting curses. This is where so much negative energy has been put into something that it begins to attract more negative energy and thus feeds itself, meaning it can become self sustaining. One of these suspected cursed items is The Basano Vase. This vase is reported to have been gifted to a bride in Napoli, Italy in the 15th century. Legend has it that she was holding the vase as she was murdered the night before her wedding. Reportedly anyone who has owned the vase has met an untimely end. This could be coincidence or it could be

The starting point for Mythical Narrative Art was around 700 BC. This was when the Attic vases began to appear with depictions of myths on the vases. Around 323 BC is when Attic vases used to depict myths stopped being produced. With the discontinuing of the vases it is said to be the end of the Greek Narrative Art. The vases are not the only reason 323 BC is the ending period of Greek Narrative Art. Alexzander the Great’s death also signified the end of the Classical period which was the last period of Greek Mythical Narrative Art.