LydosWhite text: p.25-26

Black text: p.11-15

Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Shape: Column krater

Function: mixing bowl for wine and water.

Painter: Lydos (attributed)

Potter: unknown

Technique: black figure

Date: c.560-550 B.C

DimensionsDimensions

Height: 56.5cm

Capable of holding nineteen gallons of liquid

Inscriptions

• This vase is not signed• However, it has been attributed to

Lydos• The potter is unknown

• Grand style• One large elegantly

painted frieze which runs all the way around

• one of the first vases on which wine, women, and song are presented, albeit in a mythological guise

• twenty-seven satyrs and maenads are shown in a frieze that continues around the vase.

• Incised lines and added white and red glaze enliven the black

Decoration: Overview

Figures arranged in formal composition: in pure profile or in full frontal view with no attempt at foreshortening. The contours of each figure stand out clearly against the background, and the composition becomes a decorative design.

• Depicts return of Hephaistos to Olympus

• Accompanied by Dionysus, satyrs and maenads(female followers of Dionysos)

• Composition is balanced – Dionysos and Hephaistos are placed on opposite sides

• Hephaistos, the lame god, is riding a mule and carrying a wine flask

• Dionysos stands scerenely clasping a vine, a piece of ivy and a wine horn (all items attributed to godship)

• Gods stand aloof from festivities – focus is drunken behaviour of satyrs and maenads

Satyr Hephaistos

Subject of the decoration

Maenad

The Myth: The Return of Hephaistos to Olympus

The scene shows Hephaistos riding a donkey, being led back to Mount Olympus by Dionysos.

They are accompanied by satyrs and maenads.

Dionysos is the God of ecstasy, honoured as the bringer of wine and the fruits of the fields. There are several stories about his birth, but all confirmed to his followers, that he was the giver of the vine.

Satyrs often follow Dionysos, because they like his drinking and dancing.

Maenads are the female followers of Dionysos.

Side A – the action

Dionysos stands, holding a vine, a piece of ivy and a wine horn. He wears a wreath, and seems detached from the action. He is inspiring it!

The procession is led by a satyr playing the aulus (double pipes)

Satyrs have long limbs, donkey’s ears and tails. Lydos gives them human faces and feet

Maenads are the female followers.

Side B – the action

More satyrs and maenads, following the procession around the vase

Here is the lame god Hephaistos, sitting on his mule. He doesn’t appear to be joining in the festivities. Maybe he’s too drunk?

Snake-handling was an important part of following Dionysos

CompositionA decorative band of lotus and palmettes on the brim

The scene is framed above by this band of red and black tongues

Large figures fill the frieze – they are around 25cm tall

Below there is a red band, which frames the scene on the bottom edge

Dionysos and Hephaistos are exactly opposite each other, separated by the revelers on

either side

All the figures are moving in the same direction – as if they’re going somewhere!

The figures are regularly spaced; almost rhythmically spaced?

Painting technique

• All the figures are painted in silhouette

• Lydos has then incised to show detail – like the designs on drapery, tails and faces

Particularly good incised hems on dresses of maenads

• He has used stippling to give the impression that the satyrs have hairy bodies

• He has used lots of red and purple to detail clothing, as well as white for the skin of the maenads (mostly disappeared)

• Drapery is mostly solid, without folds, but there are incised lines to simulate folds

InnovationsPOSE• The scene two dimensionsal but Lydos varies the pose

– three figures with either full frontal or partly frontal features

Several figures are looking behind them, and the centre figure is looking directly at the viewer.

The pose is not a natural-looking twist at the waist, though.

• Chief innovation – the satyr – wearing tragic mask– Painted with a frontal

head and torso but with profile legs

– All Satyrs human faces rather than goats

– Lydos focusses more on side of their nature viewer could relate to

Other Innovation

• Attempt to show depth by overlapping figures

• Extensive use of added colour– Purple to detail clothing– White for skin of Maenad– Most of white overpaint disappeared

• Greater detail to the drapery of characters– Vaired solid block style by drawing lines to

simulate folds of cloth by incising edge of fabric so appeared to hang at an angle

• Tried to bring figure alive by using a variety of poses and by making characters wild and mischievious

DEPTH• Lydos has tried to show depth by

overlapping several figures – does it work?

ANIMATION• The figures look lively

and free – there are a variety of poses, gestures and expressions

The Overall Mood• Lydos creates a sense of revelry and

aliveness.• Arms raised• Legs raised –

dancing• Bent knees –

movement, dancing

• Fits in with viewers knowledge of the myth and the creatures

• There is also a comic element to the vase

Here a satyr pulls the tail of the satyr in

front

Here a satyr is syphoning wine from the wineskin of the satyr in front of him