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The Greek colonies of Southern Italy, known in
antiquity as Magna Graecia, or “Greater Greece,”
were marked by their initial allegiance to the
ceramic styles of the Attic mainland. However,
over the years, native traditions and innovations
heavily influenced the works of Magna Graecian
potters. Unorthodox forms and painting-styles
were seamlessly merged with the standard Greek
style, creating distinctive works of art unique to
the Hellenistic world.
Kraters are a group of vessels with wide mouths,
a narrow, footed base, and handles. Foremost
among the different types of kraters is the bell
krater, so-called because it emits a pleasant
ringing sound not unlike a bell when gently
struck with a finger. Kraters were an essential
piece of equipment in the symposium, a type of
diner banquet immortalized by Plato where
drinking and revelry were the encouraged
activities. After the food was consumed, the
group of men retired to a special room with a
floor that sloped into a central drain (to facilitate
cleaning the morning after) where drinks were
served and female consorts entertained with
music and dancing. Before the wine was served,
it was first diluted with water inside a krater such
as this one.
This gorgeous Apulian bell krater is decorated
with two red-figure painted scenes. On the
front, a satyr is seated on a rock, wearing a
wreath in his hair, seemingly passing a staff to a
young man who stands in front of him with a
prominent white cap resting off of his head.
Behind the satyr, a woman stands wearing a
belted chiton and holding a branch. On the
reverse, three men stand together, all clad in
himation, the two on the sides holding canes.
Might they be engaged a political or
philosophical discussion, the type of discourse
that was common at symposia (that is, before
the wine took effect and these reserved men
transformed into the untamed satyr). Being that
kraters were so integral to the joys of the
symposium, it is only natural that they are
traditionally decorated with scenes of revelry and
merriment that often echo the parties
themselves, as is the case with this splendid
example.
- (X.0083)
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