Lydos Column Krater Vase

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Lydos Column Krater Vase
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Attribution Details

• This vases name is Lydos Column Krater
• The painter was Lydos and it was created in 550BC
• It is 56.5cm tall.The potter is unknown.
• It was used for mixing wine and water, but not
  used for drinking. Its purpose was to be used at
  a Symposium.

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The Shape

• The name of the shape is Column Krater.

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The Characters

• Dionysus(?????s??) god of theatre and wine as
  well as the inspirer of ritual madness and
  ecstasy.
• Hephaestus(?fa?st??)- He was the god of
  technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans,
  sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and
  volcanoes. He served as the blacksmith of the
  gods, and he was worshipped in the manufacturing
  and industrial centers of Greece, particularly in
  Athens.

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Characters

• Maenads- In Greek mythology, maenads were the
  female followers of Dionysus. Their name
  literally translates as "raving ones". Often the
  maenads were portrayed as inspired by him into a
  state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination
  of dancing and drunken intoxication. In this
  state, they would lose all self-control, begin
  shouting excitedly, engage in uncontrolled sexual
  behavior, and ritualistically hunt down and tear
  animals (and sometimes men and children) to
  pieces, devouring the raw flesh.
• Satyrs- In Greek mythology, satyrs (Ancient
  Greek S?t????, Satyroi) are a troop of male
  companion Dionysus In mythology they are often
  associated with sex drive and vase-painters often
  portrayed them with perpetual erections.
• 
  
• 
  

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The story on the vase

• Return of Hephaistos to Olympus accompanied by
  Dionysus, Satyrs and Maenads. Dionysus and
  Hephaistos were placed on opposite sides of the
  crater where they appear to have been separated
  amid the riotous revelry of the party
• Hephaistos as the lame good is depicted riding a
  mule and carrying a wine flask, while Dionysus
  stands serenely clasping a vine, a piece of ivy
  and a wine horn- his godly attributes. Both gods
  stand aloof from the festivities and it is
  obvious that the focus of the artists decoration
  is the drunken behaviour of the satyrs and the
  maenads.
• The procession is led by a satyr playing the
  double pipes (aulus) and hes followed by scenes
  of tail pulling, snake handling and wine
  guzzling.

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Movements

• You can tell that theyre followers due to how
  their feet are arched and positioned all in the
  same direction.
• You can also tell theyre followers of Dionysus
  due to how theyve positioned their heads and
  arms upwards as if in a celebratory dance. The
  usage of having the head upwards and arms also is
  a movement of the followers to show their loss of
  mind with the Dionysus cult.

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Details

• Its movement is a narrative technique, and its
  been portrayed in a grand style which is one main
  narrative running along the body.
• The figure is black, and is one of the earliest
  vases, so it has not developed the movement of
  drapery as it has later on in years.
• It creates a balanced composition of figures, and
  it focuses on the main characters which have been
  placed in the center on each side of the vase
  surrounded by their followers.
• The vase also has a single ground line so all the
  characters have been portrayed on the same level.
• Black figure painters have a fear of leaving
  space, which explains why it is so crowded on
  black vases.
• They also didnt create much depth, but when they
  did it used to just be a gentle overlapping.