Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Black-Figure Krater

                                                       
              The piece of artwork I found most interesting was the Black-Figure Krater. I was amazed that pottery created around 530 BCE is not only still around, but in close to perfect condition. At first glance, it looked like a type of bowl/glass used to cook food. However after looking much closer, I saw that there are two eyes with people standing in-between. The description given defines this piece by saying "on this cup is a pair of eyes with courting male figures in between. In Greek culture, eyes ward off evil. The courting figures are fairly typical subject matter. The SO graffito on the underside of the foot appears on many vessels of the time and is believed to be the mark of a bulk purchaser".
             I learned from this that the eyes are a way to ward off evil, used in greek culture. The date this was made shows that Greek Spartans were in the midst of their reign, and the pottery might have deeper meaning than first glance. Although i am unsure of the meaning, I can infer that the two men are Spartans and the eyes act as a "god" or "higher being" that protect these spartans during battle. Regardless of the meaning, however, The pottery is still wonderful and is still admired generations later.
           

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