The François

Vase

White text: p.17-24

Black text: p.5-8

The François Vase

• Named after the man who found it, Alessandro François.

• Found amongst fragments around a tomb outside the Etruscan town of Chiusi in 1845

• On display in Florence since 1900

The symposium

conventionally interpreted as a drinking party, was a well-established feature of Greek, particularly Athenian, society. For over a century, representations on vases document that wine, women, and song were central ingredients. Even more worthy of emphasis, however, is the importance of the symposium as an institution that permitted citizens to gather, transact business, and, as Plato's dialogue makes clear, to engage in serious discussions. An essential piece of equipment for the symposium was the krater in which the wine was diluted with water and from which it was served.

Current Location: Museo Archeologico, Florence

Shape: volute krater

Function: mixing bowl for wine and water

Painter: Kleitias

Potter: Ergotimos

Technique: Black-figure

Date: 570 BC

DimensionsDimensions

Height: 66cm

Diameter of mouth: 57cm

Widest circumference:

181cm

Inscriptions

• Signatures are painted twice each for the painter and the potter: – “Ergotimos made me”– “Kleitias painted me”

• The signatures both appear on the central and upper friezes

• 121 of the 270 animal and human figures are named – telling a story is crucial to the artist’s purpose

Decoration: Overview• The shape and decoration of this vase were

revolutionary for the time• Painted decoration is inspired by the Corinthian

minitiarist style popular during the Orientalising period, but there is a crucial difference: previous (Corinthian) vases were usually either made up of animal friezes or had geometric pattern decoration. Although this one contains some orientalising influence (mythological animals such as griffins and sphinxes as well as exotic vegetable motifs like the lotus and palmette) it is a narrative vase.

• This vase also represents a development in that the central frieze encircles the vase.

• Vase is divided into six friezes or bands, each showing different scenes, linked together by “The Iliad” and Achilles.

Subject of the decoration

The artist obviously had a thorough knowledge of myth and literature.

Much of the decoration is linked with Homer’s “The Iliad”.

The majority of scenes celebrate the deeds of Achilles and his father Peleus.

Kleitias’ decoration is always meaningful – he does not fill up space with spectators or “extras”.Ajax carries Achilles

Conventions of the Black Figure techniqueBefore firing:• Figures filled in with black

slip• Colour is added, including

– white for female flesh, – white for a dog on the back

of the Kalydonian boar– purple-red for some drapery– red on some men's faces.

• Incisions made through the black for hair, some internal details of anatomy and ornate patterns on some clothing.

Artemis

Figures• small-scale, silhouette figures, but

plenty of incised detail.• pose often has profile head (but with

frontal eye); frontal torso and profile legs and feet

• incision of anatomical detail is delicate and precise, showing an accurate knowledge of major muscle groups.

• attempts to suggest texture with smooth human hair and the spiky bristles of the boar.

• attempts to show movement: one foot in front of the other; raised and outstretched legs suggest running; joined hands for dancers.

• emotion suggested by gestures such as raised hands.

• movement and gesture lively and active in most scenes; restrained and dignified in the wedding procession.

• BUT, drapery is stiff and ignores the lines of the bodies beneath

Analysing the friezes

Side AThe Neck

Scenes:

Above: The hunt for the Kalydonian Boar

Below: Achilles’ chariot race

The First Frieze: The Hunt for the Kalydonian Boar

The Myth:

Meleager’s mother was told by the fates that he would only live until a branch which, which was burning on the fire at that moment, burnt away. She took it off the fire and hid it. Meleager grew up to be a fearless fighter.

When Meleager’s father, the King of Kalydon, forgot to sacrifice to Artemis, she sent down a huge boar to ravage the land.

Meleager gathered a band of hunters to kill the boar. Many heroes joined in, including Atalanta. Most of the men objected to hunting alongside her, but she was a deadly hunter, and in any case, Meleager was in love with her, so he insisted.

Atalanta was the daughter of Iasus and Clymene. Since Iasus only wanted sons, she was left at birth on a mountainside, where she was suckled by a she-bear.

Under the protection of Artemis she grew up to become a swift and deadly hunter, as well as a resolute virgin.

Each hunter was so keen to have the glory of killing the Kalydonian boar that they failed to work as a team and several men were killed.

Atalanta drew first blood, and Meleager killed the boar. At once, he skinned the boar and presented the hide to Atalanta in thanks.

This offended two of Meleager’s uncles, who felt they should have been given the skin. Meleager killed them both on the spot.

His mother was angry at the news of her brothers’ deaths, so she threw the fatal branch on the fire, thus killing Meleager.

First Frieze – The hunt for the Kalydonian Boar

Melanion, beside Atalanta, who is about to throw the decisive

spear

A dog preparing to attack

Peleus, beside Meleager, who is

about to kill the boar

The Kalydonian boarOther hunters

The boar has killed a dog and Ankaios, one of

the hunters A white dog, now mostly

worn off, has leapt onto the boar’s back

More hunters and a dog drive the boar towards Meleager

and Peleus

More hunters, and a Scythian archer chase the boar across the frieze. One of the archers has a particularly ornate tunic

The Second Frieze: Achilles’ Chariot Race

The Myth:Achilles fought for King Agamemnon against the

Trojans at Troy. He fell out with Agamemnon over a girl, and refused to fight.

The Trojans were much heartened by the news, and the battle turned against Agamemnon. The Greeks were saved, however, when Patroclus, Achilles’ special friend, dressed in Achilles’ armour and led the Greeks into battle again.

He met Hector in battle, and the Trojan prince, believing he was fighting Achilles himself, killed Patroclus. The news of Patroclus’ death sent Achilles into a state of anger and grief bordering on insanity.

He set out for revenge. Hector tried to tire him out by running around the walls of Troy, but Achilles, having cornered Hector, killed him. He then tied Hector’s corpse behind his chariot and dragged the body around Patroclus’ funerary monument every day for twelve days.

Achilles held magnificent funeral games in honour of Patroclus, a part of which was a chariot race.

All the chariots race in the same

direction around the vase – the opposite

direction to the boar

hunt

The gaps between the horses’ legs are filled by the prizes given for the winners

of the race.

A Dinos

(a handleless bowl used for mixing wine and water)

A Tripod

(a bowl sitting on three legs)

Under the handles of the vase, on both sides, is this scene of the dead

Achilles being carried by Ajax.

The myth tells of how, when Achilles was killed by Paris’ arrow,

Ajax rescued his armour and carried his body back to camp,

while Odysseus warded off attackers.

Compositional stability: the horizontal and vertical straight lines of Ajax contrasts with the diagonal lines formed by Achilles’ body. Also the eyes contrast.

Side A The body of the Vase

3. The wedding of Thetis and Peleus

4. Achilles pusues Troilus

5. Oriental animal frieze

The Third Frieze: The Wedding of Thetis and Peleus

The Myth:

Silver-fotted Thetis, the immortal sea-goddess, was kindly and beautiful. Zeus and Poseidon both wanted to marry Thetis, but they heard a prophecy.

The son of Thetis would be greater than his father.

Fearing that they might be overthrown, both gods decided against the union, and Zeus arranged a marriage to a mortal – Peleus.

Peleus had led a dangerous and varied life, and had been one of the Argonauts.

All the gods came to celebrate the marriage. They lived together for a while, during which time, Thetis gave birth to Achilles, the greatest hero of the Trojan war.

This is the most significant myth of all those depicted on this vase.

The names of all the wedding guests are

inscribed next to them – see p.7 in Black text

A comic Dionysos runs ahead of Zeus and Hera in the first chariot – he is carrying a wine jug

over his shoulder

The Fourth Frieze: Achilles pursues Troilus

The Myth:

Troilus was the youngest son of King Priam, the King of Troy. (According to some he was the son of Apollo.)

A prophecy said that if Troilus was alive on his 20th birthday, Troy would not fall.

Achilles waited for Troilus by the fountain house outside the city walls. Troilus and Polyxena, his sister brought a hydria to collect water from the fountain, but as it filled, Troilus saw Achilles and fled on horseback toward the sanctuary of Apollo.

Achilles caught him inside the sanctuary and killed him on the altar.

Apollo never forgave Achilles. Some accounts say he shot the fatal arrow, while others say he guided Paris’ arrow.

On the other side a girl waits for her hydria to fill, but she has caught sight of the impending tragedy behind her and throws up her arms in horror

Apollo stands to the left of the fountain-house, his stance and gesture suggesting danger and urgency

A youth places his hydria beneath one of the water spouts

This event is called the Cypria, and was the earliest in Trojan War.

Three gods (l-r, Thetis, Hermes and Athena) are

unseen by mortals, but exert a divine influence over the

action

Meanwhile, in the central image of the frieze,

Troilus flees on horseback, pursued by the leaping “swift-footed

Achilles”

The quality of Kleitias’ work is shown by the detail in Troilus’ pose

.

Two warriors, Troilos‘ brothers Hector and Polites, emerge from the gates on their way to rescue their brother or avenge his death.

Here comes Troilus

Polyxena runs ahead of her brother,

having dropped the

hydria

Antenor brings the bad news to King

Priam, shown sitting outside the walls of Troy with

only a staff to support him in his

old age and sorrow

Antenor

Priam

The Fifth Frieze: Orientalising-inspired Animals

A lion fells a bull A lion fells a stag

A pair of griffins sitting either

side of a Lotus and palmette

motif

Side B The Neck

Scenes:

Above: Dance of the Athenian Youths

Below: The Centauromarchy

The First Frieze: The Geranos

The Myth:

Whilst travelling, Aegeus, King of Athens, spent a night at Troezen, in the house of the king. That night he slept with Princess Aithra, and in the morning, as he left, he hid his sandals and sword under a heavy rock.

Aegeus told Aithra that if she bore a son he would only acknowledge him when he could lift the rock and claim the sword and sandals.

When Theseus was sixteen, he did just that, before setting off for Athens to meet his father.

He was desperate to make a good impression, so along the way he completed some dangerous and impressive tasks.

Theseus arrived in Athens wearing the sword and sandals. Medea, Aegeus's wife, attempted to poison Theseus, but as soon as Aegeus recognized the heirlooms, he proclaimed Theseus his son and heir and banished Medea.

Theseus killed a few relatives who wearing making life hard for his father, and killed a wild bull on the plain of Marathon.

He then began his most famous deed.

Athens had to pay a tribute each year of seven young women and seven young men to King Minos of Crete, as payment for the death of Minos’ son Androgeos.

These sacrifices were fed to a monster called the Minotaur. Theseus volunteered to be one of the fourteen, and, having arranged a signal to show his success with his father, set off for Crete.

He was helped by Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, who gave him a dagger and a ball of wool.

Theseus killed the Minotaur and found his way out of the maze, whereupon he met Ariadne and the other 13 Athenians, and together they fled back to Athens.

Theseus forgot the signal he had arranged with his father, however, and sailed back to Athens under black sails.

Aegeus was watching for the ship by the coast, and when he saw the ship approaching, in his grief he threw himself into the sea. The sea has been called Aegean Sea ever since, and Theseus became King of Athens.

The Myth

The Geranos, or victory dance occurred after Theseus had rescued the fourteen Athenian youths and maidens from the minotaur.

The Vase

In the victory dance on the vase, the youths and maidens can be seen holding hands and miming their hurried exit from the labyrinth, to the sound of Theseus’ lyre. Theseus leads the Geranos.

The women wear the peplos, the men the himation (cloak)

The Second Frieze – The Centauromachy

The MythThe Centaurs were half-human, half-horse creatures, who ate

raw meat and lived a wild, unbridled life in the caves of Mount Pelion.

A dispute arose between them and King Peirithous who ruled the Kingdom of the Lapiths. The Centaurs were invited to the wedding of King Peirithous, but the Centaurs disgraced themselves by getting drunk and trying to make off the with bride and the women at the wedding.

The King Peirithous, Theseus and the Lapiths pursued them, and in the ensuing battle, many Centaurs were killed. The Centaurs were then banished to live in the forests of Thessaly.

Kaineus a leader of the Lapiths, has fallen to the ground under a hail of blows from the centaur Hylaios, who belabours him with a branch while two other centaurs bring large rocks to deal the fatal blow.

Hylaios

Next to them another centaur and a Lapith duel, branch

against javelin

A centaur rears above a fallen comrade to hurl a

rock at (possibly) Theseus. Kaineus died but the Lapiths won the battle

The Third Frieze

The third frieze runs around the

vase

The Fourth Frieze – The Return of Hephaistos

The MythHephaistos was the son of Zeus and Hera, and was born lame.

Some stories say that Hera was angry when her son was born disabled, and threw him down from Mount Olympus into the sea. Others say that he was hurled out of heaven by his mother Hera for intefering in an argument between her and Zeus.

Hephaistos then designed a beautiful, golden throne that which Hera could not resist. However, when she sat on it, invisible chains clasped her and kept her bound.

Zeus offered the hand of Aphrodite in order to get Hephaistos to release her. Initially he refused to free his mother, but eventually Dionysus got him drunk and then led the lame God back to Olympus.

Dionysos is leading the mule

Hephaistos is drunk

They are accompanied by

satyrs and nymphs

The mule and the satyrs are shown sexually aroused

The Foot Frieze – The Battle between Pygmies and Cranes

See p. 23 in White text

Or

p. 8 in Black text

Connections:

• Achilles » Peleus on Lip Side A» Patroclus on Neck Side A» Marriage of Thetis and Peleus on Shoulder» Troilus on Belly Side A» Ajax on handles

• Artemis» Kalydonian Boar on Lip Side A» Thetis and Peleus’ Marriage on Shoulder» Surrounded by animals on handles

• Theseus» Kalydonian Boar on Lip Side A» Leader of the dance on Lip Side B» Friend of Peirithous on Neck Side B

Overall Themes:

• Greek victory over Trojans (in particular), barbarians and animals

• Gods’ preference for the Greeks