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THE SARPEDON BOY KRATER.
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Analysis of the Greek pottery work.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analysis of the Greek pottery work. Attribution of the 515 B.C. pot to the painter Euphronius. Value of the Sarpedon Boy as an example of a subject matched to the pottery vessel's shape. Description of the piece as an example of red-figured painting as a complex set of images.
Paper Introduction:
The Sarpedon Boy Krater of the Euphronius Painter
The Ancient Greeks were masters of sculpture and architecture, but they also excelled at painting, particularly in the decorative painting of ceramics used in both daily life and rituals. Over twenty thousand pots have survived to present what Wood, Cole and Gealt (1989) have characterized as an excellent overview not only of the functional uses to which the Greeks put such items, but also of the major philosophical, historical, cultural and religious currents shaping Greek life. This brief report will consider one such work – the Sarpedon Boy Krater, attributed to the painter Euphronius, and made about 515 B.C.
The Krater of the Sarpedon Boy is an excellent example of
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11). These were items made to fulfillfunctions and not merely to serve as decoration. This occurred even though painters kept their figures flatand drew and modeled with line alone, including no details of backgroundexcept a few hints in abstract form. Hornblower, S., & Spawforth, A. The Krater of the Sarpedon Boy is an excellent example of themonumental nature of a subject matched to the inherent grandeur of apottery vessel's shape (Wood, et al, 1989). (1986). Theseappendages are further balanced by the figures of Sleep and Death, whichcrouch to lift the body of the slain warrior, from whom diagonal flows ofblood emerge. New York: Oxford University Press. The Oxford Companion toClassical Civilization. There was atension or conflict between the arts of pottery and painting. Some ten signed pieces produced byEuphronius are now identified, along with six signed by Euthymides(Richter, 1959). Both Richter (1959) andBuschor (1922) have suggested that as the painters of such pottery nearedtheir objectives with respect to the manipulation of form, they alsoappeared to lose their feeling for ceramic decoration. It is balanced by a single row ofgeometric decorative elements at the lip of the vessel and a pair of rowsof such elements at the stem of the vessel. Ithaca, NY:Cornell University Press. (1922). Painters, on the other hand, werepursuing new understandings of how the human figure should be presented inorder to convey both detail and monumentality in miniature. The use of the brush ratherthan the engraving tool allowed the artist greater fluidity of drawing(Hornblower & Spawforth, 1998). Over twenty thousand potshave survived to present what Wood, Cole and Gealt (1989) havecharacterized as an excellent overview not only of the functional uses towhich the Greeks put such items, but also of the major philosophical,historical, cultural and religious currents shaping Greek life. Thus, the krater in general and thecalyx krater in particular served a functional purpose along with adecorative one (Woodford, 1986).Nevertheless, the Greek love of visual ornamentation combines with theGreek dedication to mythic as well as human themes in this work and othersproduced by the vase painters of the era. This briefreport will consider one such work - the Sarpedon Boy Krater, attributed tothe painter Euphronius, and made about 515 B.C. The piece is an example of thecalyx krater, which has two small horn-shaped handles low on its sides; itis a red-figure vessel that has been described by Woodford (1986) asrepresentative of a time of lively experimentation and bold exploration offorms, colors, techniques, and even ideas. Both a string vertical, slightly on the diagonal,and a horizontal movement around the bow of the crater can be observed. It is important to recognize that theseworks were produced during a complex period of political and social changein which major events included the fall of the Peisistratid tyranny, thereforms of Kleisthenes, and the early days of the Athenian democracy.Exciting political and social times made possible revolutions in art, andRichter maintains that (1959, p. An early study of Greek vase painting by Ernst Buschor (1922)identified the popularity of the cylax as due to the fact that its broad,flattish surface offered a large enough area for groups of figures.Paradoxically, however, potters were concentrating on the niceties of formsuch as proportion, the thinness of walls, the character of profile, andthe integration of handle with body. The fully developedpectoral and abdominal musculature of the fallen Sarpedon boy is anexcellent example of the attention to anatomical detail that wascommonplace in this period. According to Gisela Richter (1959), from approximately 53 to 4 B.C., red-figure was securely established. These works attest to a society that was rapidlychanging, acquiring great technological competencies along with newunderstandings of the ways in which the decorative arts could further thetasks of representing the human figure. Wood, M., Cole, B., & Gealt, A. Woodford, S. Since the Greeks drank their wine diluted with water, theyrequired a wide-mouthed mixing bowl. Sophocles wrotein his great drama Antigone, that "although there are many marvels in thisworld, the greatest marvel of all is man (in Wood, et al, 1989, p. An Introduction to Greek Art. The Sarpedon Boy Krater of the Euphronius Painter The Ancient Greeks were masters of sculpture and architecture, butthey also excelled at painting, particularly in the decorative painting ofceramics used in both daily life and rituals. On an amphoradepicting revelers, Euthymides inscribed the following statement:"Euphronius never did anything like it (Richter, 1959, p. Further adding to the strong vertical linesof the painting, and to the weight of the figures, are the bending wingedfigures of Sleep and Death that that struggle to life the dead boy-warrior.Wood, et al (1989), state that the scene, with its grid of animated figureswhich subtly echo the shape of the pot, is raised to a new level ofseriousness and pathos that is seldom equaled in Western art. Euphronius andEuthymides appear to have been competitive with one another. New York: Summit Books. London: Phaidon. During this time, painters ofthe highest caliber decorated vases and their myriad styles show livelyactivity in the Attic potteries. Euphronius, along with Phintias and Euthymides are regarded as thepioneers of the red figure style (Hornblower & Spawforth, 1998). References Buschor, E. A Handbook of Greek Art. 34 )." Whilethis may be the case, there is no doubt that the Sarpedon boy represents amovement forward in terms of foreshortening and presentation. The subject depicted on thevase is the body of a fallen warrior, Sarpedon, son of Zeus, who is beingcarried from the field of battle by the twins Sleep and Death under thesupervision of Hermes (Wood, et al, 1989). It alsoreveals the fundamentally human orientation of Greek art. 34 ), "the full power of this epoch isshown in the work of Euphronius." The krater can be placed alongside work done by Euthymides, who alsoused the new technique of foreshortening in his work. Inthe central figure of the Sarpedon boy himself, the horizontals of the bodyare balanced by verticals of appendages such as arms and legs. The krater was generally employed as equipment for drinking parties orsymposia. (1959). The result wasallowing the objectives of the painter to triumph over ceramicrequirements. The workof these painters, as the item under consideration herein demonstrates, ischaracterized by adventurous anatomical depictions. Each of the figures areelaborately detailed with full attention to musculature as well as draperyand other accessories. Many thousands of such items have survived the ravagesof time in remarkably good condition. Greek Vase-Painting. The depiction of human figures in action or at rest, and of thedrapery that sometimes clothed them was the principal interest of the Greekvase painters (Woodford, 1986). Around 525, the red-figure technique was invented in Athens, possiblyby Psiax or the Andocides Painter. The Sarpedon boy krater is an excellent example of red-figuredpainting and, more significantly perhaps, an important technological stepforward. New York: Dutton. The body of the fallen warrior is inert and heavy, giving weight toan essentially somber action. (1998). (1989). By 6 , the black-figure painting was fullyestablished in Attica, and Athenian potters were beginning to experimentwith a wider range of wares, introducing the calyx krater and the volute-krater (Hornblower & Spawforth, 1998). In red-figure, the decoration is leftin the clay color and the background is painted black while inner detailsare painted with lines of varying thickness. Red figures set against a black ground gave the artist anopportunity to paint the faces, bodies, and draperies of figures with abrush rather than incising them. Art of theWestern World. From the point of view of drawing the human figure - a problem thatwas isolated from ceramics - this particular work may be representative ofa gradual progression toward visual appearance. What results, according to Wood, et al(1989), is a slightly less decorative but much more complex set of images.In this particular piece, the central panel is, of course, the mostsignificant and the most complex. The work appears to be relatively typical of the period in whichEuphronius worked. Around the period in which this work or art was produced, adefinitive shift in the techniques and materials employed by Greek vasepainters was emerging. Animals, flowers, fruit and vegetables,and even architecture were subordinate to the human figure in such works ofart. Richter, G.
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