First, an experiment:

Look at the scene on the next slide.

Which figure is your eye drawn towards first?

ExekiasBelly Amphora

White text: p.27-29

Black text: p.17-21

The Exekias Belly Amphora

• Exekias is widely regarded as the best exponent of the black-figure technique. He was sensitive to the shape and design of the vase, and adapted his compositions to suit the particular vase.

He continues the “Grand Style”, painting in large friezes, rather than several miniature friezes.

• Unlike the Lydos Column Krater, Exekias’ vase has two friezes on opposite sides, rather than one continuous panel running all the way around the vase.

His vases are distinguished by the quality of the painting, which lends his figures elegance. His vases have been described as “statuesque”!

ShapeExekias potted his own vases, so each one was shaped in order to complement the design he intended for it.

This vase differs from the traditional Amphora shape in the following ways:

The shoulder of the vase is much broader and squarer – in fact the shoulder is the widest part of the body of the vase – much wider than the belly

The neck of the vase is much wider

The handles are flanged (flattened) and decorated, rather than rounded and plain

The foot has been moulded into two layers, rather than just one

Shape: Belly Amphora

Function: Storage of wine, oil or honey

Painter: Exekias

Potter: Exekias

Technique: black figure

Date: c.540-530 B.C

Current Location: The Vatican Museum, Rome

DimensionsDimensions

Height: 61cm

Inscriptions• There are several

inscriptions on the vase.

• The most significant is on the rim:

“Exekias painted and made me”

Also signed behind Achilles

• All figures on are identified, and Exekias even records the score in the game between Achilles and Ajax

Achilles

Four

Ajax

Three

Behind Ajax there is a kalos inscription:

“Onetorides is beautiful”

Graceful flare of the handles is emphasised by a chain of ivy leaves.

Decoration: Overview

An elaborate double lotus and palmette borders the girth of the belly.

Exekias is unmatched in Exekias is unmatched in his skill in painting and his skill in painting and

composition.composition.

Subject of the decorationAgain, the story of Homer’s Iliad is the inspiration for the vase.

The vase depicts a scene from a lost poem about the Trojan war.

Analysing the friezes

Side AAchilles and Ajax

The Myth

This is a scene from a lost poem about the Trojan War. Achilles and Ajax were so involved in playing a board game that they did not hear the enemy approaching and were still playing when the Trojans attacked the camp.

Achilles is the legendary warrior son of Peleus and Thetis.

Ajax, son of Telamon and Periboea, was second only to Achilles among the Greek warriors.

Ajax wounded Hector in single combat, was chosen to beg Achilles to fight again when he had refused, rescued the wounded Odysseus, won the wrestling competition at the funeral games of Patroclus, and saved Achilles’ armour before carrying his dead body back to camp.

When it came to deciding who should have the honour of wearing Achilles’ armour, the Greeks could not decide between Ajax and Odysseus. Priam’s son Helenus (who had been captured) had to make the decision, and he chose Odysseus.

This is the psychological moment: the viewer knows what is about to happen!

The heroes are sitting on boxes, dressed in full armour, with the rest of their battle gear close at hand.

Either the game is so engrossing that they are literally on the edge of their seats with excitement, or this is a very temporary scene. Perhaps they sat down just for a quick game?

Either way, the effect is the same.

Achilles is the larger, dominant figure. He wears a Corinthian helmet with a horsehair crest.

Note the depiction of the figures themselves:

Ajax is bare-headed (his helmet is hanging from his shield behind him)

Exekias is careful to include detail of the heroes’ weapons and armour

A shoulder guard

decorated with a

panther’s head

The heroes even wear their

-leather corselets

-thigh guards

-greaves

They are even clutching two spears each!

Exekias gives the heroes Boeotian shields – common in archaic art.

Achilles’ shield is particularly detailed – it shows a satyr’s head in high relief.

Ajax’s shield shows a similar scene, but his shield shows a Gorgon’s head without

the relief.

See p. 18 in Black text for clearer pictures

CompositionCompositionBALANCED

SYMMETRICAL

Scene is framed by the borders above and below

The central figures The central figures form a triangle, form a triangle, with Achilles’ horse with Achilles’ horse hair at the apex.hair at the apex.

The bodies and The bodies and arms of the arms of the heroes form heroes form another triangleanother triangle

The figures are composed in an

“inverted W” shape

The line of the spears continue to line up with the handles, and the line of the shields also follow the line of the handles

The curved backs of the heroes follows the line of the vase – shows how Exekias decorated his vase in sympathy with its form

Decorative technique

• The quality of the decoration is extremely high, compared with other black-figure vases

Realism Detail on the horse’s hair plume on the helmet, also on Achilles’ beard

Exekias added white slip on Achilles’ corselet and greaves, and purple on the shield

Cloak shows incredible detail, all incised through the black, with white and purple added to the stars, spirals and flowers on the cloak.

The leather corselet bulges underneath the cloak.

Extra glaze used to show Achilles’ curls

p.19 (Black) to show detail

Limitations Limitations to Exekias’ to Exekias’ RealismRealism

Exekias’ eyes are all shown in frontal aspect

Muscles are shown, but there is no attempt to make them look realistic

Achilles’ cloak is flat and two dimensional, but Exekias is trying to show the folds in the drapery

Side BThe Return of Castor and Polydeuces

The Myth

Zeus fell in love with Queen Leda, wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. He knew she loved the white swans of the River Eurotas, and so he disguised himself as a swan to seduce her.

Leda was either already pregnant to Tyndareus, or fell pregnant soon after, and produced two sets of twins.

Zeus fathered Polydeuces and Helen (semi-divine twins), while Tyndareus fathered the mortal Clytemnestra and Castor.

Polydeuces excelled at boxing. Castor became a great warrior and horseman, and even taught Heracles to fence. Castor and Polydeuces were inseparable friends, and accomplished all of their exploits together. They were called “Dioscuri” – sons of Zeus – though only Polydeuces was actually fathered by Zeus.

They featured in several stories, and were on the Kalydonian Boar Hunt, joined the crew of the Argo on Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece, and rescued their sister Helen from Theseus.

They had a quarrel with their cousins and rivals, Idas and Lynceus, over the spoils from a cattle raid. Idas killed Castor, and Polydeuces killed Lynceus. As Polydeuces was fighting Idas, Zeus came to his aid and killed Idas with a thunderbolt.

Zeus took Polydeuces into the company of the Gods, but he refused to go to Olympus without his mortal brother, Castor.

Zeus was so touched that he allowed Castor and Polydeuces to spend alternate days in the Underworld and on Olympus, and in addition placed their images in the heavens as Gemini, the Twins.

Exekias creates a homely scene to illustrate the reunion of the family – even when family members are mythical heroes

Polydeuces

Note he is bending down to greet the family dog, which jumps ecitedly

Queen Leda, hand outstretched, greets Castor with a flower

King Tandareus stands, hand outstretched to pat Castor’s horse

A slave boy is also present. He carries a stool on his head, with a set of clothes for the brothers, and holds an aryballos

Castor holds his horse with one hand, a spear with the other, and turns his head towards his mother

Exekias is again trying to make his decoration more realistic. He paints Castor behind his horse – trying to create the impression of depth.

Typically for the period, Exekias paints Castor mainly in profile – only his head turns behind to greet his mother. This is a rigid, unrealistic pose.

Drapery and Realism

Castor wears a chlamys, which Exekias has coloured with red slip.

Queen Leda wears a peplos, which is flat and foldless

Polydeuces is naked

Tyndareus wears an himation

Exekias has used incisions through the black slip to show the folds in the cloth of these cloaks – an attempt to show realism

Exekias has incised through the black to show detail on the horse’s mane

Limitations to Realism

All the figures stand on the same groundline

However, Exekias has placed Castor and the dog behind other figures to provide depth.

Composition of Side B

Scene framed above and below Placing the horse in the centre, and the figures

either side provides symmetry in the scene.

Composition of Side B

There are THREE focal points. This creates the sense of depth and movement.

1

2

3