Lydos Vase
Figure
• It is a black-figure vase
What is it…
• It’s an ancient Athenian vase. (560550b.c.)
• It’s 56.5cm tall each cm is 10 million
USD
• Which means, we can’t afford it as Mr
Sheehan’s retirement present.
The Shape
• The name of the shape is: Column
Krater.
The Potter/ Painter
The name of the
Potter was in fact
Lydos. Hence, the
name of the vase.
(p.s. this is not actually
Mr. Lydos)
The Characters
• Dionysus(Διώνυσος) –god of theatre and wine as well
as the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy.
• Hephaestus(Ἥφαιστος)- 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.
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 selfcontrol, 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: Σάτυροι,
Satyroi) are a troop of male companion Dionysus — In
mythology they are often associated with sex drive and vasepainters often portrayed them with perpetual erections.
•
•
A maenad
A Satyr
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
artist’s decoration is the drunken behaviour of the
satyrs and the maenads.
• The procession is led by a satyr playing the double
pipes (aulus) and he’s followed by scenes of tail
pulling, snake handling and wine guzzling.
Innovations
• The scene is two-dimensional, but the painter
has deliberately has varied the main profile
poses of the figures by putting in three figures
with either full-frontal or partly frontal features.
• The satyr is depicted wearing a tragic mask.
• The creature glaring out at the viewer from
behind Hephaestus’ mule with his hands
raised, has been painted with a frontal head
and torso but with profile legs.
Innovations
• Lydos gave the Satyrs human faces. This is a
feature that makes the viewer relate to the
characters rather than concentrating on their
beast- like features.
• Lydos attempted to show depth by
overlapping the figures.
• An extensive use of added colour including
purple to detail clothing and white for the skin
of the maenads. Unfortunately, most of this
white over-paint has disappeared and with it
the features of the maenads which were
painted over the top.
Innovations
• The artist also attempted to give greater
attention to the drapery of the characters by
drawing lines to simulate the folds of cloth and
also by incising the edge of the fabric so that
it appeared to hang at an angle.
• It is obvious from the way he has painted the
column krater that Lydos has tried to bring the
figures from the myth alive by using a variety
of poses and making the characters appear
as wild and mischievous creatures.
Appreciations.
• As you may have noticed, the colour of
our power point is red and green. this
symbolises red wine and olives- both
things that are from the ancient Greeks.