By Maryam and Nirvani
(Who isn’t here but is totally
AWESOME!!!!!)
The Painter
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Potter: Meidias
Painter: The Meidias Painter
Height: 52.1 cm
Other work by him includes:
- A hydria with Adonis sitting in Aphrodite’s lap
- A toilet box cover with women and Cupid
 He was known for his “theatrical ‘floral’ style and for his ‘flying
drapery’”
 Often seen as one of the last greatest Greek vase painters from
Athens.
 The painter is named after the potter’s signature, (they worked
together) found on the Meidias vase as his own signature is not
found.
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The Vase
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 Vase: Hydria (store/carry water)
 Red figure vase
 The vase is estimated to be from 410-400BC
 Was found in an Etruscan tomb by Eduard Gerhard
who first identified the potter’s signature in 1839.
 3 handles: 2 for holding the vase and 1 on the back to
help with pouring
 The vase is split into 2 friezes (band or decoration of
painting) There are 2 stories on the vase.
Painting Technique:
Red Figure Technique
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 Vase is first coated with ochre (natural earths containing ferric
oxide, silica, and alumina:
used as yellow or red pigments) then polished therefore
heightening the orange-red clay.
 Outline of figures sketched with incision or charcoal stick.
 Figures outlined with slip and background filled in.
 Inner detail of figures painted with black slip and dilute slip for fine
lines.
 Honey-coloured glaze added to certain parts i.e. hair, clothing (to
add ‘realism’)
 A thick slip could have been used alongside a syringe-like
instrument.
Composition
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 Handles: Upper frieze has the three handles. Two on sides and
one on back. Third handle interrupts the narrative. A palmette
is placed under this handle.
 Upper tier: Painter restricted by shape of vase and handles.
Gets around it by arranging the composition at many levels,
connecting groups by wavy lines. Objects needing more space
are in the larger upper area i.e. 2 chariots with horses.
Lower Scene Baseline: Heads of the figurines are almost all at
same level. Figures are mostly still so attention drawn more to
elegance of the poses and delicacy of drapery.
 Space is created by ‘foreshortening’ (object appearing
compressed) and the way figures turn.
Upper Frieze
Composition
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 Complex as painting accommodates double curve of
vase and three handles.
 Figures arranged at different levels= suggests
distance.
 Large groupings of 2 quadrigas (chariots led by 4
horses) placed high on vase= suggests it’s in the
background.
Lower Frieze Composition
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 Single frieze right around vase.
 Much simpler than upper frieze.
 Figures suggest landscape by being placed on broken
groundline.
 Painter shows skills in arrangement of composition
to shape of vase/placing figures= suggest space and
landscape.
Upper Frieze
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The upper frieze shows the abduction of
daughters of Leukippos (Phoebe and
Hilaeira) by the Dioskouroi (Castor and
Pollux). Aphrodite sits in the lower part of
the scene conniving in the abduction. Her
attendant Peitho, goddess of Persuasion, flees
from the scene, but Aphrodite and Zeus,
father of the Dioskouroi, do not seem moved.
Story of Upper Frieze
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Castor and Polydeuces aspired to marry the Leucippides (white horsemens daughters),
Phoebe and Hillaeira, even though they were betrothed to their twin bothers, Lynceus and
Idas. Castor and Pollus carried the gris out of Sparta where Phoebe bore Mnesileos to
Pollux and Hilaeira bore Anogon to Castor which started a feud between the 4 cousins.
Story of the feud:
The cousins set out on a cattle raid in Arcadia but it quickly returned to the feud. The four
cousins decided to split the herd into four equal quarters, they butchered a calf anf were
about to begin their meal when Idas suggested that they split the hered into two and give it
the two who finished their meal first. Idas was gigantic so he quickly ate his meal and then
Lynceus’ too which meant that Castor and pollux had been tricked and the whole herd
went to Lynceus and Idas.
In retaliation to Lynceus and Idas stealing the herd from Castor and Pollux, they decided to
steal them back. They were at a dinner with Helen and Paris when Castor and Pollux made
an excuse to leave the table, they were excused which left Lynceus, Idas, Paris and Helen at
the table. When they had run off with the cattle Lynceus and Idas set for home which is
when Paris took his chance to kidnap Helen which triggered the events leading up to the
Trojan War.
Later the four cousins got into a brawl which left Castor seriuosly injured which led Pollux
to share his immortality with Castor.
Lower Frieze
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The scene in the lower frieze shows Herakles
doing his final Labour, and getting the
golden apples of the garden of Hesperides
(from nymphs who guarded the tree in this
garden at the end of the earth).
Story of Lower Frieze
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The Hesperides are three nymphs that live in and tend to the garden of Garden of Hera. They have many
names, however, in the Meidias vase scene they are known as Lipara, Asterope and Chrysothemis are
named in a Hesperide scene of the apotheosis (the highest point in the development of something)of
Heracles (Romanized to Hercules) on a late fifth-century hydria by the Meidias Painter in London.
The Garden of Hesperides is Hera’s orchard in the West where a tree of immortality giving apples grows.
The seed of this apple was given to Hera (Juno) from Gaia as a wedding gift when Hera accepted Zeus.
The Hesperides job was to take care of the apples and tend to them; occasionally they would pick some for
themselves so Hera placed a hundred-headed dragon named Ladon as a bodyguard of the apples.
Hercules was originally had 10 labours but because he had help with two of the labours, Hydra and the
Augean stables, he was given 2 more labours to make up for it. His task was to steal the apples from the
garden of the Hesperides.
He made his way to the Garden of the Hesperides, Heracles tricked Atlas into retrieving some of the
golden apples for him, by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while (Atlas was able to take them as,
in this version, he was the father or otherwise related to the Hesperides). This would have made this task like the Hydra and Augean stables - void because he had received help. Upon his return, Atlas decided
that he did not want to take the heavens back, and instead offered to deliver the apples himself, but
Heracles tricked him again by agreeing to take his place on condition that Atlas relieve him temporarily so
that Heracles could make his cloak more comfortable. Atlas agreed, but Heracles reneged and walked
away, carrying the apples. According to an alternative version, Heracles slew Ladon instead.
Athena later returned the apples to their rightful place in the garden.
Style: Mannerist
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Mannerist –post renaissance:
Figures are recognizable by their long profiles, large eyes, small mouths,
rounded chins and the frequency of the three-quarters portrait. Women are slim
and long-limbed, men incline to plumpness, and both enjoy tapering fingers and
toes. particular attention to the details of clothing, jewellery and hair; all his
women wear earrings, necklaces, hair ornaments and bracelets, their hair
rendered with individual locks and elaborate coiffure and their dress usually a
diaphanous. His subject matter favours the mythological over the historical.
Shows intelligence and skill rather than depicting a story.
 Most violent images (rape and abduction) have been given “luxurious
treatment”.
 Places of women:
 Shown either doing domestic duties or part of myth scene.
 Displays that: world of Athenian women=virtual paradise.
 Women are wearing jewellery:
-depicted in ‘elegant graceful poses’
-holding/tugging at folds within their clothes
Style cont. : Drapery
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Drapery:
Fine and elegant, bodies visible underneath
Drapery follows form, clinging to the body. Multiple
lines flow round the body and flutter away,
suggesting movement. Meidias Painter is one of the
last great figures in Athenian vase painting. His
graceful figures with clinging draperies are similar to
those seen in contemporary sculpture. Meidias
Painter’s influence extends into the next century.
Anatomy, Mood and
Movement: Upper Frieze:
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 Anatomy: i.e. the four galloping horses on left are seeen in
¾, profile view. One gallops while turning its head.
Foreshortening of horses and their lively movement.
 Movement/agitation within movement suggested by
poses i.e. Eriphyle’s feet don’t touch ground as Castor
carries her off.
 Greateset sense of movement from fluttering drapery.
 All figures appear graceful and gentle.
 Mood= dismay (rather than despair), shown by raised
hands and turned heads towards the action.
Anatomy, Mood and
Movement: Lower Frieze:
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Much more gentler action.
Elegant poses suggest painter is more
interested in decorative patterns than
narrative.
Need more info?
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CHECK THE TEXTBOOKS!!