Primary visual sources Flashcards
What is the origin date of the Basel Dancer’s vase
500-490BC
What is the origin date of the Pentheus Cup
480BC
What is the origin date of the Oedipus Vase
330BC
What is the origin date of the Maenad Vase
430-420BC
What is the origin date of the Perseus’ Dance Vase
420BC
What is the origin date of the Medea’s escape vase
400BC
What is the origin date of the Choregos vase
- 400-380BC
What is the origin date of the Birds wine-jug
- 510-480BC
What is the origin date of the Cheiron vase
- 380BC
Where was the Basel Dancer’s Vase made
Athens
Where was the Pentheus Cup made
Athens
Where was the Oedipus Vase made
Sicily
Where was the Maenad Vase made
Athens
Where was the Perseus’ Dance Vase made
Athens
Where was the Medea’s Escape Vase made
Magna Graecia - Southern Italy
Where was the Choregos Vase made
Magna Graecia - Southern Italy
Where was the Birds Wine Jug made
- Athens
Where was the Cheiron Vase made
- Puliga, Italy
What does the Basel Dancer’s vase tell us
- young, energetic chorus in action
- dancing probably involved the whole body moving
- could be Aeschylus’ Persians or could be Dionysus
What makes the Basel Dancer’s vase useful as evidence
- it is notable that it dates to the early years of the fifth century, when tragedy was still a new form (and way before the Bacchae)
- gaping mouths suggest they are singing
- chorus are identical
- its a whole image
- nothing is fragmented
What the limitations of the Basel Dancer’s vase usefulness
- could be wearing masks or military costumes, however they are wearing diadems on their heads instead of helmets, which is unexpected
- we don’t know the specific play its about
What does the Pentheus Cup tell us
- depicts the moment where Pentheus is torn apart by his mother & aunt
- a satyr overseas events, reminding us this is all under Dionysus’ watch
What is the Pentheus Cup useful for
- dismembered in grisly detail
- the vase predates the Bacchae by 75 years, so reminds us Euripides was only one among various artists to be inspired by this myth
What are the limitations of the Pentheus Cup
came 75 years before the Bacchae
What does the Oedipus Vase tell us
- one of the very few vases that depicts a performance of a tragedy, as opposed to a myth - most likely a representation of Oedipus Rex
- skene, with 3 speakers on, wearing masks
- aristocratic woman (Jocasta pale)
Why is the Oedipus Vase useful as evidence
- displays the skene & positioning of the characters, as realistically as they were in the play
- the messenger uses theatrical gestures & faces the front as though talking to the audience
- helps us observe costumes, masks & stage instructions
- produced after Sophocles play
What are the limitations of the Oedipus Vase
- Antigone & Ismene on the vase, but there is nothing to suggest they were present in this scene
- as with other images of Greek Theatre, we should be careful of tackling the artists’ depiction as a literal presentation of a performance, since emotive detail could be added
What does the Maenad Vase tell us
- a portrayal of a Dionysiac ritual
- women dance around a statue of Dionysus
- some maenads carry a thyrsus, another a tambourine,& another ladles wine from a drinking vessel & are sat behind a table holding 2 large stamnoi
Why is the Maenad Vase useful as evidence
- shows the possible variations in worship & assembly of rituals
- drinking vessel reminds us that Dionysus’ function as god of wine is central to his rituals
What are the limitations of the Maenad Vase
- drinking parties play little role in the Bacchism described in Thebes (not representative)
- not a real image, likely an artistic depiction of a festival
- does not depict other forms of Bacchic worship such a dance/art
What does Perseus’ Dance Vase tell us
- shows a stage & theatre
- audience notably not wearing shoes
- comic actor seems to be Perseus, who carries a sickle, with which he has cut off the head of Medusa, & he seems to be dancing or pretending to fly as Perseus does in the myth
- costumes are evident e.g naked boy-suit
Why is Perseus’ Dance Vase useful as evidence
-actors & on stage action
- The only attic vase to show a stage & the stage made of wood as it seems
- costume of a phallus & padding , insinutates that the actor can be hit, creating realism, great for slapstick
- It was found in Attica, so likely the artist saw this comedy being performed, especiallly as it was made in 420BC, the time of popularity of Aristophanes & drama
- the actor not wearing shoes would be for movement, an aspect of Tragedy
Why is Perseus’ Dance Vase useful as evidence
-theatre audience
- Only ancient Greek painting to display a theatre audience
- they sit on elegant wooden chairs called klismos, which formed the model for the seating in the Prohedria, in the Lycurgan theatre, so it is thought they are sitting on the front row
- 2 represented intended to show the whole audience, they are both wreathes, insinuating aristocrats? one is clearly older & bearded one is younger
What are the limitations of Perseus’ Dance Vase
- image displayed shows some reconstructed features - vase is damaged
- unclear if the younger audience member is a younger man or woman
- AMBIGUITY: some say its 2 judges, the priest of Dionysus & another priest, Dionysus & his consort Ariadne, or perhaps even the Choregos & the playwright
- we don’t know if the play exists - cannot compare its context
What does Medea’s escape vase tells us
- focus is on Medea, who flies above the human scene on a chariot drawn by dragons, which is circled by a figure of the sun (final scene)
- 2 hideous winged figures (furies maybe) look down on the scene, where the murdered sons are slumped on what seems to be the wheel platform decked out to be an altar
- far right - tutor & nurse, identifiable as an old woman by her white hair, mourn
Why is Medea’s escape vase useful as evidence
- Made in Southern Italy displaying the spread of Athenian culture
- Intensity of the scene by having Jason & Medea locks eyes with one another, depicting hatred & an intense form of emotion
- Stage craft - suggests that the mechane (crane) & tombs of the boys uses the eccyclema
- Structure is a krater, utilized for mixing wine & water, unmixed wine is a halfway to madness
What are the limitations of Medea’s Escape Vase
- It is unclear if it is on top of a stage
- Jason is on the left bare chested like a hero, in contrast to the conventions of Tragic costume
- Medea was performed in 431BC, a few decades prior
What are the limitations of Medea’s Escape Vase
-Differs from the play
- there are no furies or dragons in the play,
- also Medea takes her sons with her so she can deprive Jason of the chance to bury them, so not factually accurate
What are the limitations of Medea’s Escape Vase
-explanations for 4 actors on stage
- we can speculate for the reasons for these differences:
- either the artist’s own developed interpretation of Euripides’ play,
- or perhaps he knew a different version of the myth or play,
- which reminds us that we should not assume parallel scenes of the Athenian stage are not a truly accurate representation, as it usually offers a more enriching description, for clientele
What does the Choregos vase tell us
- the scene is of a comedy, depiction of a comedic competition between Aegisthus & Pyrrhus
- 4 figures on a low stage
- Aegisthus is depicted, a major character in the myth of Clytemnestra & Agamemnon
- 3 other figures wearing grotesque masks
- 1 member of choregos clearly much older
What makes the Choregos Vase useful as evidence
-chorus & choregos
- suggests the choregos would be apart of the chorus,
- which was perhaps divided into 2,
- with older semi-chorus supporting tragedy, & young semi-chorus supporting comedy
What makes the Choregos Vase useful as evidence
-costume
- depiction of a tragic actor with ornate or stylized clothing
- good representation of Tragedy regardless of interpretation: allows for a direct comparison between the costumes of tragic & comic actors
What are the limitations of the Choregos Vase
- uncertain what is happening in this scene
- the divided chorus only holds weight as evidence is the painter has used artistic license to place the 2 chorus members on stage
- 2 chorus members on stage is unconventional
What does the Bird-Wine Jug tell us
- 2 dancing bearded figures dressed as birds, purple crests on their heads & feathers attached to their kness
- wings are clearly visible on their arms & tails
- vine branches in the background are suggestive of Dionysus
- animalistic chorus
What makes the Bird-Wine Jug useful as evidence
-chorus scale
- displays that animal choruses, possibly musicals were pertinent in the Early fifth century Athens, chorus has bigger role at the start of Greek drama, being very musical, considering he is holding a flute
- this motif is commonly used by painters to indicate a theatrical or choral scene
What makes the Bird-Wine Jug useful as evidence
-chorus origins
- orgins of comedic choruses, as Aristophanes famously presented some comedies with animal choruses e.g Birds (414BC),
- which indicates that the idea of animal choruses, birds in particular, predates Aristophanes by many decades at least
What are the limitations of the Bird-Wine Jug
- cannot ascertain as it is about the chorus not actors, so we cannot identify wwhat it was about, just presumably that birds were in it
What does the Cheiron Vase tell us
-less significant features
- On the left is a theatre set up, steps to a stage, representing the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi
- top right, a separate scene shows 2 nymphs conversing
What does the Cheiron Vase tell us
- Parody of the myth of the Centaur Cheiron, who has been hurt by Heracles, who is then hurt by Apollo
- Xanthias is at the top of the stage, & he helps Cheiron, wise teacher & healer
- behind him is an actor playing the rear of a centaur
- to the right of him is a young man, maybe Achilles, who was tutored by Cheiron
What makes the Cheiron Vase useful as evidence
-comedy
- it illustrates the role that slapstick played -in the myth, Cheiron was terribly wounded by the arrows of Heracles & this is perhaps a feature of the plot in the play
What makes the Cheiron Vase useful as evidence
-costume
- pot clearly depicts comedy through costume → Xanthias wears a clealy visible phallus & heavily padded midruff
- his mask is indicated by the snub nose & large mouth, suggesting the importance of expressions on masks
- Cheiron’s costume & mask is similar but with different features, white hair & closed eyes (blindness)
What makes the Cheiron Vase useful as evidence
-nymphs
- the presence of the nympths perhaps reflects that Cheiron bathed in a stream sacred to a group of Nympths after his wounding
What are the limitations of the Cheiron Vase
- unknown comedy - artist interpretation of different characters you may meet in Greek theatre
When was the Pronomos Vase made
400 BC
When was the Tragic Actors dressing made
450 BC
Where was the Pronomos Vase made
Athens
Where was the tragic actors dressing made
Athens
What does the pronomos vase tell us
- Shows a depiction of actors preparing for a satyr-play
- There is an aulus player in the centre of the scene
What does the tragic actors dressing tell us
- You can see two tragic actors or chorus members who are getting into costume, including his masks which is indicated by the gasping mouth
- The actor on the right puts on his high boots, while his life-like mask lies on the floor beside him
Why is the Pronomos Vase useful
- Shows chorus members offstage but still in costume
- Shows the masks
- Many of the actors have their real life names inscribed beside them
- Shows how there were females in roles in the play (but men in masks)
- Picture of Dionysus – shows how gods were in the play
What are the limitations of the Pronomos Vase
- Only a vase – does not show very much colour (not as much as there would have been)
Why is the tragic actors dressing useful
- The boots of tragic actors had thin soles and turned up toes that allowed them to move around easily
- Show what happened backstage
What are the limitations of the tragic actors dressing
- Only shows two actors/chorus members
What is the origin date of the Telephus Vase
c. 380-370 BC
Where is the Theatre at Thorikos found
- Thorikos, a deme in Attica
Where is the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens found
Athens
Where was the Telephus Vase made
Magna Graecia Southern Italy
What is the origin date of the Theatre at Thorikos
525-485 BC
What is the origin date of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens
early 5th century until Roman times
What does the Theatre at Thorikos tell us
- Straight facing theatron with curved seating at the ends
- Orchestra more rectangular than circular
- Capacity of 3,000 spectators (large for a deme theatre)
- Temple and altar at each end of the performance area
- No trace of any permanent building behind the acting area
What makes the Theatre at Thorikos useful as evidence
- Shows that a different shape of the theatre could allow for improved acoustics
- Shape of the orchestra shows one of the various ways the orchestra could be built
- Large capacity shows how even rural theatres could be large
- Shows significance of religion in Greek Theatre
- No permanent building behind the acting area implies a skene was not always used
What are the limitations of the Theatre at Thorikos
- Only a photo – not certain what the state of the ruins is now
- Ruins are very deteriorated
- Photo is only from one side of the theatre
What does the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens tell us
- Circular 20m diameter orchestra
- Prohedria (VIP row) with seat in the middle for the Priest of Dionysus
- Altar and religious sanctuary next to theatre
- Foundations of a skene
- Aisles in the theatron
- Horse shoe theatron shape
- Capacity of 17,000
- Street at the back which led from the theatre to the agora (city’s market place)
What makes the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens useful as evidence
- Large orchestra implies big chorus and big movements
- Show how social classes divided in theatre and importance of religion
- Show importance of religion in theatre
- Shows use of backdrop in plays
- Shows ease of accessibility
- Implies good acoustics and good view from all seats
- Shows how many Athenians could get involved
- Shows significance of theatre in daily life
What are the limitations of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens
- Only a photo
- Ruins have deteriorated
- No evidence of machinery
- Majority of skene not preserved
- Doesn’t show acting and staging
What does the Telephus Vase tell us
- The scene shown is one from Aristophanes’ ‘Women at the Thesmophoria’,
- where they centre on the women holding a meeting about what to do about Euripides,
- except Euripides has his own spy dressed up as a woman to listen in.
- Once the spy is discovered he takes a baby and threatens to kill it, but the joke is that the baby is a sack of wine,
- yet the women treat the wine as dearly as they would a child.
What makes the Telephus Vase useful as evidence
- In the play there is an elaborate dressing scene, in which the spy is shaved, dressed as a woman and given a woman’s headband, clearly visible in the painting
- Most male figures on South Italian comic vases are bearded, so it is notable that the figure is clean-shaven
- Furthermore, in the dressing scene the spy checks himself in a mirror, and a mirror is suspended above the centre of the scene
What are the limitations of the Telephus Vase
- made in Southern Italy so the artist may not have seen the original production of the play
- chorus, third actor, skene, stage etc. aren’t shown
