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HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Attic Vases : Attic Black-Figured Oinochoe
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Attic Black-Figured Oinochoe - LA.502
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 520
BC
to 510
BC
Dimensions:
9" (22.9cm) high
Collection: Classical
Medium: Terracotta
Additional Information: Art Logic Provenance: Oscar Blum Gentilomo (1903-1975), Christie's 2004
Location: UAE
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| Description |
In keeping with characteristically Greek
design
tenets, the base and foot of this vessel
as well as
its neck, lip, and handles are rendered
in black
glaze in order to serve as framing
elements for
the single, principal figural scene on
the front of
the vessel itself. That scene is
furthered framed
by the ground line on which the figures
stand as
well as by a net-like, vertical pattern
to the left
and right, and a series of vertical
stokes at the
top. The neck of the vessel is likewise
separated
from the shoulder by a third, net-like
design and
the foot from the base by a white band.
Because scenes on such Greek vases often
adhere to strictly observed canonical
standards,
their identification is assured even
when, as here,
there are no accompanying inscriptions.
On the
basis of those standards this scene
depicts The
Return of Helen. The heroine of the
Trojan War
epics, Helen is shown in the center of
the
composition, facing right. Her hands,
feet, and
face are painted white in keeping with
conventions for the depiction of women
on Attic
black-figured vases. She is shown
wearing a
patterned chiton, a striped himation,
and a
wreath in her hair. She lifts her
himation with her
left hand in a gesture well-known in
Greek art
from wedding scenes in which the bride
unveils
herself to her husband. The return of
Helen to
her husband Menelaos is here interpreted
as if,
to use a modern analogy, the couple were
about
to renew their vows. It is for this
reason as well
that Helen extends to Menelaos the
wreath in
her left hand. Menelaos on the left is
shown as a
contemporary Greek warrior in full
battle armor.
He wears a crested helmet, greaves, and
a
mantle draped over one shoulder. He
holds a
round shield, the blazon of which
consists of
four white dots framing an animal’s
head, as well
as two spears. Helen’s eyes are cast
downward
under the fixed glance of her husband’s
eyes.
The warrior to the left, similarly armed
and with a
shield emblazoned with a depiction of a
bent
human leg, has been plausibly identified
as
Odysseus, the Greek hero whose stratagem
of
the wooden horse brought the Trojan War
to a
close which resulted in the return of
Helen. His
job done, he is depicted facing left,
his head
turned toward the re-united couple for
one last
look, before he leaves them alone. The
fact that
Odysseus is leaving immediately is
subtly
conveyed by squeezing his figure tightly
into the
space occupied by the framing net-
pattern on
the far left.
This vessel, termed an oinochoe, was
used as a
pitcher to serve wine. It celebrates the
exploits
of heros and was a fitting accessory at
Greek
symposia, or drinking parties. Today, it
commemorates Helen of Troy, whose beauty
was
such that her face “launched a thousand
ships!”
- (LA.502)
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