Heraklion Archaeological Museum - CollectiveAccess System : Clay objects : Flask with octopus and seabed in the Marine Style [Π3383]

Flask with octopus and seabed in the Marine Style

Π3383

Clay

Mended and restored.

Height: 27 cm. Maximum diameter: 23 cm.

Palaikastro

Block Β

Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan ΙB period.:

1500 - 1450 BC:

Gallery:

Case:

Exhibition thematic unit:

Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). The New Palaces. The zenith of Minoan civilisation

Settlements of East Crete

Description

This flask from Palaikastro is one of the most iconic vases of the Marine Style and a masterpiece of the Minoan potter’s art. It is decorated with a large octopus that is depicted frontally but appears to be swimming diagonally, its writhing tentacles covering the whole surface of the flask. Among the tentacles are themes denoting the seabed, such as sea urchins, tritons and small rocks with seaweed. The exceptional naturalistic conception is typical of the vase painter, named the “Marine Style Master”, to whom a stirrup jar from Gournia with similar decoration is also attributed. The Marine Style is one of the styles that make up the Special Palatial Tradition. In the case of the Marine Style, the decorative motifs are not just aesthetically pleasing but also carry symbolic meaning. The vessels in this style are elegant masterpieces, distinguished by the way in which the decorative themes are perfectly adapted to and highlight the shape of the vessel. The shapes are often inspired by metal prototypes, while the repertoire of the decoration is associated with similar themes found in Minoan frescoes. The best examples of the period were probably produced by a small number of artists in palace workshops, mainly those of Knossos and East Crete, while many were also exported outside the island.

Bibliography:

Bosanquet, R.C. "Excavations at Palaikastro II." Annual of the British School at Athens 9 (1902-3): 276-289. Betancourt, Ph.P. Η Ιστορία της Μινωικής κεραμεικής (trans. Th. Iliopoulos). Athens, 1985, 200-203. Mountjoy, P.A. "The Marine Style Pottery of LM IB/LH IIA: Towards a Corpus." Annual of the British School at Athens 79 (1984): 163-219.

Author:

E. S.

Photographs' metadata