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Oinochoe by the Shuvalov Painter (Berlin F2414)
Encyclopedia
Antikensammlung Berlin
The Antikensammlung Berlin is one of the most important collections of classical art in the world, now held in the Altes Museum and Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. It contains thousands of ancient archaeological artefacts from the ancient Greek, Roman, Etruscan and Cypriot civilizations...
at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(inventory number F 2414) is one of the most famous erotic depictions
Erotic art
Erotic art covers any artistic work that is intended to evoke erotic arousal or that depicts scenes of love-making. It includes paintings, engravings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, music and writing.-Definition:...
from ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
vase painting
Pottery of Ancient Greece
As the result of its relative durability, pottery is a large part of the archaeological record of Ancient Greece, and because there is so much of it it has exerted a disproportionately large influence on our understanding of Greek society...
.
Description
The rather small oinochoe was found in LocriLocri
Locri is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. The name derives from the ancient Greek town Locris.-History:...
in southern Italy. The clay jug is covered with a highly glossy black clay slip
Slip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
almost in its entirety, thus rendering the single small painted red-figure
Red-figure pottery
Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 530 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of Black-figure vase painting within a few decades...
scene particularly striking. It is positioned on the upper part of the vessel's body, directly opposite the handle. The image depicts a young man and a girl or woman immediately before sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
. The youth of the man is clearly indicated by his long curls hanging by his temple and neck. He is seated, tightly squeezed into a leather chair. Additionally, his hands are holding on to the seat. His cloak has been pulled down, covering only his legs. His legs are pressed together and outstretched; his clearly visible erect penis shows that he is ready for union with the female. It seems clear that the initiative lies with the woman who is depicted totally nude with the exception of a broad hair band. She is holding on to the chair's backrest, her right leg is lifted up, indicating that as the next step she is about to sit on the man's lap. The fact that their gazes meet and their heads touch indicates a connection, even intimacy or tenderness, which may be somewhat unexpected in such a scene. The known norms and conventions of Athenian society suggest that she must be a common prostitute
Prostitution in Ancient Greece
Prostitution was a common aspect of ancient Greece. In the more important cities, and particularly the many ports, it employed a significant number of people and represented a notable part of economic activity...
or, at best, a hetaira
Hetaira
Hetaira is a genus of bush cricket in family Tettigoniidae subfamily Phaneropterinae....
. An honourable Athenian citizen woman would never be depicted in such a fashion, further, she would not be permitted to take the initiative in a sexual relationship with a man. Thus, the scene ought to be set in a brothel, or, perhaps more likely, at a symposium
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
. The tense posture and shy look of the young man have been suggested to imply that he is sexually inexperienced, perhaps even that the scene depicts his first introduction to heterosexual activity.
For stylistic reasons, the oinochoe is attributed to the Shuvalov Painter
Shuvalov Painter
The Shuvalov Painter was an Attic vase painter of the red-figure style, active between 440 and 410 BC, i.e. in the High Classical period ....
, who ran a workshop in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
between 440 and 410 BC. The vase is dated to 430, at the latest 420, BC. It is very well preserved, only on the lip and handle is some of the glossy slip missing, as is a small part of its base. The particular shape is quite rare. The vessel is 19 cm high and has a diameter of 15.5 cm (without the handle). It was acquired for the Antikensammlung
Antikensammlung Berlin
The Antikensammlung Berlin is one of the most important collections of classical art in the world, now held in the Altes Museum and Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. It contains thousands of ancient archaeological artefacts from the ancient Greek, Roman, Etruscan and Cypriot civilizations...
in 1828, from a collector called von Koller. At present, it is on display at Antikensammlung exhibition in the Altes Museum
Altes Museum
The Altes Museum , is one of several internationally renowned museums on Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. Since restoration work in 1966, it houses the Antikensammlung of the Berlin State Museums...
, in case 17,3 (section Fest und Gelage - "feast and symposium"). Because of its fine painting and high quality, the vase is one of the most frequently illustrated works of Greek vase painting
See also
- Shuvalov PainterShuvalov PainterThe Shuvalov Painter was an Attic vase painter of the red-figure style, active between 440 and 410 BC, i.e. in the High Classical period ....
- Red-figure potteryRed-figure potteryRed-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 530 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of Black-figure vase painting within a few decades...
- History of erotic depictionsHistory of erotic depictionsThe history of erotic depictions includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, dramatic arts, music and writings that show scenes of a sexual nature throughout time. They have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with...
- Ancient Greek erosAncient Greek erosAncient Greeks used the word eros to refer to different aspects of love. This diverse range of meanings is expressed by the plurality of Greek words for Love, reflecting the versatility and complexity of eros...