History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
History
History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)
Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
Mythology, Classical, in art; Pottery, Ancient; Pottery, Etruscan; Pottery, Greek; Pottery, Roman
[Illustration:
SCENES FROM FUNERAL LEKYTHI (BRITISH MUSEUM).
1, PROTHESIS; 2, CULT OF TOMB.
]
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Apart from the under-world scenes already described,[1600] the future
life is not illustrated by the vases, except in a curious scene on a
B.F. Cyrenaic cup, representing a banquet of the blessed, attended by
Sirens.[1601] There is also one single representation of the subject so
common on later Greek reliefs—the sepulchral banquet.[1602]
3. THE DRAMA
The relation of vase-paintings to the drama has already been discussed
in Chapter XI., in which it has been shown how the tragedies of
Euripides and the farces of Rhinthon influenced the artists of Southern
Italy. It may, however, be worth while to recapitulate here the actual
representations of actors or of scenes taking place on a stage,
together with some account of the numerous burlesques of mythical
subjects.
On one curious B.F. vase (probably late and imitative) we see a rude
representation of a tragic and a comic chorus,[1603] and occasionally
on vases of this period we find figures of actors dressed up as birds,
or otherwise in comic fashion.[1604] More important in this connection
are the fifth-century vases found on the site of the Cabeiric temple at
Thebes, several of which have parodies of well-known subjects, such as
Odysseus and Kirke, or Peleus bringing the young Achilles to
Cheiron.[1605] It seems probable that these scenes are actual
reproductions of burlesque performances connected with the worship of
the Kabeiri.
We look in vain for representations of scenes from Aristophanes and the
Old Comedy, though there are one or two vases which recall (if nothing
more) episodes in the _Acharnians_[1606] and _Frogs_.[1607] But for the
rest, these comic scenes are almost confined to the vases of Southern
Italy, especially those made at Paestum, with their presentations of
the φλύακες or fourth-century farces. A fairly exhaustive list of these
was made some years ago by Heydemann,[1608] and probably requires
little emendation as yet; we repeat below a number of the more
interesting subjects, and others may be collected from the foregoing
pages in which myths are burlesqued (the Judgment of Paris, the
apotheosis of Herakles, Oedipus and the Sphinx, etc.).[1609]
(1) Zeus visiting Alkmena: Schreiber-Anderson, 5, 8 = Heydemann,
_loc. cit._ p. 276: cf. B.M. F 150.
(2) Apollo healing the Centaur Cheiron: B.M. F 151.
(3) Herakles at Delphi; Apollo takes refuge on the roof of the
temple: Reinach, i. 153, 2 = Rayet and Collignon, p. 318.
(4) Combat of Hephaistos (Daidalos) and Ares (Enyalios): B.M. F 269.
(5) Herakles with the Kerkopes: Schreiber-Anderson, 5, 2 =
Heydemann p. 281.
(6) Herakles seizing Auge: Fig. 105, Vol. I. p. 474 = Reinach, i.
123 = Heydemann, p. 279.
(7) Burlesque of the story of Antigone: Reinach, i. 273.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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