MINOAN ART
MINOAN ART
• Art in Crete reached its peak during the
Neopalatial period, reflecting the period of
extraordinary development.
• During the postpalatial period it echoed the
decline of Minoan civilisation.
METAL WORK
• Exquisite metal works were created in
ancient Crete with gold and copper
imported from abroad
• They employed several techniques to shape
various metals into objects.
• They mastered the techniques of casting,
embossing, gilding and faience.
EVIDENCE OF MINOAN ART
• Ornament in the shape
of a crouching lion
from the tomb of Ayia
Triadha.
• Probably LM1 c.15501450BC
• Gold
• Pendant from the
Aigina treasure.
• MMIII c.17001550BC
• gold
• Bee pendant
• C.1800-1700BC
• Gold
• Gold ring with the
depiction of a bull
jumping scene from
Phourni
• Before 2000BC
• Duckling ornament
• 1500BC
• A reconstruction of an
old grape press (called
galeagra)
• 13th-15th century BC
FRESCOES
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All frescoes are Neopalatial in date.
Very few were found at Malia and Phaistos,
Most are from Knossos and Agia Triadha.
Most common themes in Knossos:
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Bull leaping
Boxing and wrestling
Heraldic Griffin compositions
Processional scenes
CLASSIFYING FRESCOES
• Frescoes can be classified in the following broad
terms:
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Painted stucco relief frescoes
Frescoes with human and animal representation
Life size
Under life size but not miniature
Miniature
Formal patterns or heraldic animals on a large scale
Decorated floors
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MURAL PAINTING
• Specific skin colour for the sexes: red for
male white for female
• Genre scenes are common, but there are no
unmistakably particularised scenes, whether
historical or mythical
• Scenes from nature are realistic in terms of
human or animal participants
• Backgrounds in frescoes are often “fantastic”.
Brightly coloured, no attempt at depth or scale
• The range of colours is remarkably varied
• Wide variety of scenes and individual motifs
• No use of shading to indicate relief
• Underwater scenes seem to have been restricted to
floor decoration
• Absence of hunting scenes and scenes of warfare.
• “Dancing women in
the Garden”
• Miniature fresco from
Knossos
• LMII 1450BC
• Spectators by a shrine
• Miniature fresco from
Knossos
• LMII
• The purple monkey
fresco
• Found at Knossos
• MMIIIA 17001600BC
• Part of the bull leaping
fresco (Toreodor
fresco) at Knossos
• Restored panel
• One of a series
• Probably LMII
c.1450BC
SCULPTURE
• Very little sculpture from Crete has
survived since most of it was not
monumental and instead consisted of small
objects dedicated to Gods and kings.
• Bull leaper figurine
• Knossos
• Ivory
• Goddess with poppy
headed pins
• Terracotta
• 1350BC
• Bulls head ryton from
the palace of Kato
Zacro
• 1700-1450BC
• A snake goddess
faience
• 1600-1580BC
• Bull from Phaistos
• Terracotta
• 1200BC
• A sphinx from Malia
• Molded clay
• 2000-1550BC
MINOAN POTTERY
• The transition in periods in the Minoan
society can be seen in the style and pattern
of their pottery.
• As each new ‘era’ emerged out of the dust
of the last, a new phase of pottery began.
• While some pottery is in short supply, some
palaces, such as Knossos can provide the
historian with a complete history of the
pottery of Crete.
• Beak spouted cup
• 2200-2000BC
POTTERY STYLES
• LMIA – 1675-1600BC
• Most popular shapes –
straight sided cup,
semiglobular cup,
bridge spouted jar,
beaked jug.
• Most popular motifs –
spiral and floral
motifs. Ripple pattern.
• LM1B 1600-1500BC
• Marine style octopus, dolphin,
seaweed, star
• Conical shapes, stirrup
jars, very few cups
• Beaked jugs, figure of
eight shields, double
axe, rockwork
• LMII 1500-1450BC
• Goblets, horizontal
handled bowl, krater
• Trend away from
naturalism towards
abstraction.
• LMIIIA 1450-1340BC
• We see a
standardisation of
pottery suggesting that
there is decrease in
regionalism
• Appearance of a plain
or solid painted, short
stemmed, one handed
goblet.
• LMIIIB 1340-1190BC
• There is no discernable
break between these two
periods.
• Historians often label
things LMIIIA2/IIIB
• The deep bowl begins to
grow more popular during
this period.
• LMIIIC 11901125/1100BC
• Again the transition
between the periods is
slight.
• The deep bowl gains more
prevalence.
• The fringed style (lines on
the outside of frescoes)
becomes popular.
• Krater with plastic
decoration
• Kamares style
• 1800BC
• Octopus vase
• Marine style
• LMI – 1500BC
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Harvester Vase
From Hagia Triada
C.1550-1500BC
steatite
• Clay seistrum
• 2100-2000BC
THE PHAISTOS DISC
THE PHAISTOS DISC
• It is the only example of its kind.
• No other inscroptions bearing similar shaped signs
has been found.
• Found in Phaistos
• Thougyht to date from c.1700BC – thus
contemporary with Linear A
• Because no other examples of this writing have
been found anywhere in Crete it is thought the
disc is foreign and brought in from another place.
• The place of its origin is speculation – but it
is thought to come from somewhere in Asia
Minor – given some of the inscriptions.
• Because there is no variation between
different copies of the same symbol, it is
very likely that stamps were used to create
the signs.