Pithos sherd with relief decoration
ΣΜ808
Clay
Broken around the edges
Dimensions: 25 Χ 36 cm.
Afrati
Archaic period:
655-630 BC:
Gallery:
XXIIICase:
232Exhibition thematic unit:
Private CollectionsN. & Th. Metaxas Collection
Description
Sherd from the neck of a large pithos with relief decoration supplemented by impressed motifs. There are two panels separated by a vertical band with a running spiral. In the left-hand panel is a standing frontal couple with the hairstyles and clothing typical of Daedalic art. The male figure is embracing the female figure with one arm and extending his right hand to touch her lower abdomen in a clearly erotic gesture. Their identification as gods or heroes is not certain: they may be Zeus and Hera or Europa, or perhaps Theseus and Ariadne. In the right-hand panel is a pair of opposed sphinxes (the one on the edge is just visible) with frontal heads, standing on a stylised floral ornament. Below is a row of impressed alternating bosses and rosettes. This is the work of a very prolific local pottery workshop, the skill and artistry of whose artisans is evident in the size of the vessels and the quality of their decoration.Bibliography:
S. Alexiou, Αρχαιολογικό Δελτίο 20 (1965) Β3, p. 551, fig. 694γ. A. Lebessi, The heterosexual couple in early Cretan iconography, Creta Antica 10/ii (2009), p. 543-4, fig. 11. cf entry by K. Sidiropulous in the catalogue of the exhibition "Δαίδαλος. Στα ίχνη του μυθικού τεχνίτη", ed. S. Mandalaki, Heraklion 2019, p. 238, no. 203.Author:
K. S.Photographs' metadata