At the Penn Museum, I observed an Attic Red Figure Stamnos. The piece was created in Attica, Greece in approximately 490 B.C.E. and is attributed to the Kleophrades Painter. According to a publication by the Archaeological Institute of America, the Kleophrades painter was a prominent artist of Athenian vase painting. The Kleophrades painter, a name assigned to the artist because his true name remains unknown, has almost ninety works that have been attributed to him. Archaeologists and Art Historians have studied and analyzed the Kleophrades painter’s style, and can therefore identify pieces decorated by him. This piece was made either in the late Archaic period or early Classical period in Ancient Greece, when culture and art were flourishing.
…show more content…
These two classes and those higher were able to afford pieces like this as either grave markers, storage or serving vessels. Like I stated before, this particular stamnos was likely to be a storage or serving vessel. The Greek symposium was the largest social event in Ancient Greece. Symposium was a social gathering where men came together, drank, and enjoyed themselves. Water was mixed with wine in a krater to dilute the beverage, and then the wine was served out of pitchers, possibly like the Stamnos I observed, into cups. Men listened to or performed music, recited poetry, and had lengthy conversations. These conversations were commonly about Greek mythology, and tales of Greek heroes, including the two stories pictured on the Stamnos I viewed. In symposium, Greek pottery served as conversation pieces. For example, the story of Heracles and the Nemean Lion could’ve sparked a conversation about Heracles’ twelve labors, and his role as a Greek hero. The story of Theseus and the Marathonian Bull could’ve sparked a conversation about the Minotaur in Crete, King Minos, and Minoan culture. Or it could’ve started a conversation about Athena and their love for Athens. The compositions chosen for these pieces were in no way arbitrary. The role of the ceramic pieces, such as this particular stamnos, was crucial to the tradition of Greek
These two classes and those higher were able to afford pieces like this as either grave markers, storage or serving vessels. Like I stated before, this particular stamnos was likely to be a storage or serving vessel. The Greek symposium was the largest social event in Ancient Greece. Symposium was a social gathering where men came together, drank, and enjoyed themselves. Water was mixed with wine in a krater to dilute the beverage, and then the wine was served out of pitchers, possibly like the Stamnos I observed, into cups. Men listened to or performed music, recited poetry, and had lengthy conversations. These conversations were commonly about Greek mythology, and tales of Greek heroes, including the two stories pictured on the Stamnos I viewed. In symposium, Greek pottery served as conversation pieces. For example, the story of Heracles and the Nemean Lion could’ve sparked a conversation about Heracles’ twelve labors, and his role as a Greek hero. The story of Theseus and the Marathonian Bull could’ve sparked a conversation about the Minotaur in Crete, King Minos, and Minoan culture. Or it could’ve started a conversation about Athena and their love for Athens. The compositions chosen for these pieces were in no way arbitrary. The role of the ceramic pieces, such as this particular stamnos, was crucial to the tradition of Greek