Meidias Painter Vase

1. Meidias Painter Vase By Maryam and Nirvani (Who isn’t here but is totally AWESOME!!!!!)

2. The Painter • Potter: Meidias • Painter: The Meidias Painter • Height: 52.1 cm • Other work by him includes:- A hydria with Adonis sitting in Aphrodite’s lap- A toilet box cover with women and Cupid • He was known for his “theatrical ‘floral’ style and for his ‘flying drapery’” • Often seen as one of the last greatest Greek vase painters from Athens. • The painter is named after the potter’s signature, (they worked together) found on the Meidias vase as his own signature is not found.

3. The Vase • Vase: Hydria (store/carry water) • Red figure vase • The vase is estimated to be from 410-400BC • Was found in an Etruscan tomb by Eduard Gerhard who first identified the potter’s signature in 1839. • 3 handles: 2 for holding the vase and 1 on the back to help with pouring • The vase is split into 2 friezes (band or decoration of painting) There are 2 stories on the vase.

4. Painting Technique: Red Figure Technique Vase is first coated with ochre (natural earths containing ferric oxide, silica, and alumina: used as yellow or red pigments) then polished therefore heightening the orange-red clay. Outline of figures sketched with incision or charcoal stick. Figures outlined with slip and background filled in. Inner detail of figures painted with black slip and dilute slip for fine lines. Honey-coloured glaze added to certain parts i.e. hair, clothing (to add ‘realism’) A thick slip could have been used alongside a syringe-like instrument.

5. Composition Handles: Upper frieze has the three handles. Two on sides and one on back. Third handle interrupts the narrative. A palmette is placed under this handle. Upper tier: Painter restricted by shape of vase and handles. Gets around it by arranging the composition at many levels, connecting groups by wavy lines. Objects needing more space are in the larger upper area i.e. 2 chariots with horses.Lower Scene Baseline: Heads of the figurines are almost all at same level. Figures are mostly still so attention drawn more to elegance of the poses and delicacy of drapery. Space is created by ‘foreshortening’ (object appearing compressed) and the way figures turn.

6. Upper Frieze Composition • Complex as painting accommodates double curve of vase and three handles. • Figures arranged at different levels= suggests distance. • Large groupings of 2 quadrigas (chariots led by 4 horses) placed high on vase= suggests it’s in the background.

7. Lower Frieze Composition Single frieze right around vase. Much simpler than upper frieze. Figures suggest landscape by being placed on broken groundline. Painter shows skills in arrangement of composition to shape of vase/placing figures= suggest space and landscape.

8. Upper Frieze • The upper frieze shows the abduction of daughters of Leukippos (Phoebe and Hilaeira) by the Dioskouroi (Castor and Pollux). Aphrodite sits in the lower part of the scene conniving in the abduction. Her attendant Peitho, goddess of Persuasion, flees from the scene, but Aphrodite and Zeus, father of the Dioskouroi, do not seem moved.

9. Story of Upper Frieze • Castor and Polydeuces aspired to marry the Leucippides (white horsemens daughters), Phoebe and Hillaeira, even though they were betrothed to their twin bothers, Lynceus and Idas. Castor and Pollus carried the gris out of Sparta where Phoebe bore Mnesileos to Pollux and Hilaeira bore Anogon to Castor which started a feud between the 4 cousins. Story of the feud: • The cousins set out on a cattle raid in Arcadia but it quickly returned to the feud. The four cousins decided to split the herd into four equal quarters, they butchered a calf anf were about to begin their meal when Idas suggested that they split the hered into two and give it the two who finished their meal first. Idas was gigantic so he quickly ate his meal and then Lynceus’ too which meant that Castor and pollux had been tricked and the whole herd went to Lynceus and Idas. • In retaliation to Lynceus and Idas stealing the herd from Castor and Pollux, they decided to steal them back. They were at a dinner with Helen and Paris when Castor and Pollux made an excuse to leave the table, they were excused which left Lynceus, Idas, Paris and Helen at the table. When they had run off with the cattle Lynceus and Idas set for home which is when Paris took his chance to kidnap Helen which triggered the events leading up to the Trojan War. • Later the four cousins got into a brawl which left Castor seriuosly injured which led Pollux to share his immortality with Castor.

10. Lower Frieze • The scene in the lower frieze shows Herakles doing his final Labour, and getting the golden apples of the garden of Hesperides (from nymphs who guarded the tree in this garden at the end of the earth).

11. Story of Lower Frieze • The Hesperides are three nymphs that live in and tend to the garden of Garden of Hera. They have many names, however, in the Meidias vase scene they are known as Lipara, Asterope and Chrysothemis are named in a Hesperide scene of the apotheosis (the highest point in the development of something)of Heracles (Romanized to Hercules) on a late fifth-century hydria by the Meidias Painter in London. • The Garden of Hesperides is Hera’s orchard in the West where a tree of immortality giving apples grows. The seed of this apple was given to Hera (Juno) from Gaia as a wedding gift when Hera accepted Zeus. • The Hesperides job was to take care of the apples and tend to them; occasionally they would pick some for themselves so Hera placed a hundred-headed dragon named Ladon as a bodyguard of the apples. • Hercules was originally had 10 labours but because he had help with two of the labours, Hydra and the Augean stables, he was given 2 more labours to make up for it. His task was to steal the apples from the garden of the Hesperides. • He made his way to the Garden of the Hesperides, Heracles tricked Atlas into retrieving some of the golden apples for him, by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while (Atlas was able to take them as, in this version, he was the father or otherwise related to the Hesperides). This would have made this task - like the Hydra and Augean stables - void because he had received help. Upon his return, Atlas decided that he did not want to take the heavens back, and instead offered to deliver the apples himself, but Heracles tricked him again by agreeing to take his place on condition that Atlas relieve him temporarily so that Heracles could make his cloak more comfortable. Atlas agreed, but Heracles reneged and walked away, carrying the apples. According to an alternative version, Heracles slew Ladon instead. • Athena later returned the apples to their rightful place in the garden.

12. Style: Mannerist Mannerist –post renaissance: Figures are recognizable by their long profiles, large eyes, small mouths, rounded chins and the frequency of the three-quarters portrait. Women are slim and long-limbed, men incline to plumpness, and both enjoy tapering fingers and toes. particular attention to the details of clothing, jewellery and hair; all his women wear earrings, necklaces, hair ornaments and bracelets, their hair rendered with individual locks and elaborate coiffure and their dress usually a diaphanous. His subject matter favours the mythological over the historical. Shows intelligence and skill rather than depicting a story. • Most violent images (rape and abduction) have been given “luxurious treatment”. • Places of women: • Shown either doing domestic duties or part of myth scene. • Displays that: world of Athenian women=virtual paradise. • Women are wearing jewellery:-depicted in ‘elegant graceful poses’-holding/tugging at folds within their clothes

13. Style cont. : Drapery Drapery: Fine and elegant, bodies visible underneath Drapery follows form, clinging to the body. Multiple lines flow round the body and flutter away, suggesting movement. Meidias Painter is one of the last great figures in Athenian vase painting. His graceful figures with clinging draperies are similar to those seen in contemporary sculpture. Meidias Painter’s influence extends into the next century.

14. Anatomy, Mood and Movement: Upper Frieze: Anatomy: i.e. the four galloping horses on left are seeen in ¾, profile view. One gallops while turning its head. Foreshortening of horses and their lively movement. Movement/agitation within movement suggested by poses i.e. Eriphyle’s feet don’t touch ground as Castor carries her off. Greateset sense of movement from fluttering drapery. All figures appear graceful and gentle. Mood= dismay (rather than despair), shown by raised hands and turned heads towards the action.

15. Anatomy, Mood and Movement: Lower Frieze: Much more gentler action. Elegant poses suggest painter is more interested in decorative patterns than narrative.

16. Need more info? CHECK THE TEXTBOOKS!!