Decorative Arts (Storage and Drinking Vessels) Flashcards
Describe how Mycenaean pottery was typically made [3]
- Basic shape made on a potter’s wheel with patterns applied
- Add an iron-rich slip
- Become various shades of red to black depending on kiln temperature
What was an iron-rich slip?
A mixture of water and clay used to give decoration to pottery
What was the largest type of storage vessel?
The pithoi
What was the pithoi used for? [2]
- Contained liquid or food
- Could be partially buried to keep contents cool and fresh
What was a problem of the pithoi?
They usually contained oil, a fire hazard, which resulted in many ancient cities suffering from huge blazes
What made the amphorae different from a pithoi? [2]
The amphorae was:
- Smaller with a narrower neck
- More elaborately painted with geometric patterns or images from nature
What was the most common type of storage vessel?
The stirrup jar
got its name from the handle, which resembles stirrups on a horse; has a precise, geometric design
What were stirrup jars used for?
Storing oil or wine
What were usually shown on vessels of the early Mycenaean age? [3]
- Double axes
- Spirals
- Leaves
What did newer Mycenaean vessels show? [3]
- Chariot racing
- Bulls
- Human figures
(ex. the Warrior Vase)
What were some other representations on the vessels? [4]
- Flowers
- Spiralled whorl shells
- Zigzags
- Vertical lines
Name other types of storage vessel / things made of clay [5]
- Kraters (mixing water and wine)
- Squat three-handled jars (made from alabaster)
- Miniature vases (stored perfume)
- Burial caskets
- Bath tubs
What was a kylix?
A cup with a long stem and two small handles
What other material could vessels be made from?
Gold
Information about the lion’s head rhyton
- Made from sheets of gold
- Found in Grave IV, Grace Circle A, Mycenae
- Container for pouring wine
- Wine was poured from top of the lion’s head and out of the mouth
- Made with hammering, granulation and repoussé techniques
