Decorative Arts (Storage and Drinking Vessels) Flashcards
(22 cards)
Describe how Mycenaean pottery was typically made [3]
- Basic shape made on a potter’s wheel with patterns applied
- Add an iron-rich slip
- Become various shades of red to black depending on kiln temperature
What was an iron-rich slip?
A mixture of water and clay used to give decoration to pottery
What was the largest type of storage vessel?
The pithoi
What was the pithoi used for? [2]
- Contained liquid or food
- Could be partially buried to keep contents cool and fresh
What was a problem of the pithoi?
They usually contained oil, a fire hazard, which resulted in many ancient cities suffering from huge blazes
What made the amphorae different from a pithoi? [2]
The amphorae was:
- Smaller with a narrower neck
- More elaborately painted with geometric patterns or images from nature
What was the most common type of storage vessel?
The stirrup jar
got its name from the handle, which resembles stirrups on a horse; has a precise, geometric design
What were stirrup jars used for?
Storing oil or wine
What were usually shown on vessels of the early Mycenaean age? [3]
- Double axes
- Spirals
- Leaves
What did newer Mycenaean vessels show? [3]
- Chariot racing
- Bulls
- Human figures
(ex. the Warrior Vase)
What were some other representations on the vessels? [4]
- Flowers
- Spiralled whorl shells
- Zigzags
- Vertical lines
Name other types of storage vessel / things made of clay [5]
- Kraters (mixing water and wine)
- Squat three-handled jars (made from alabaster)
- Miniature vases (stored perfume)
- Burial caskets
- Bath tubs
What was a kylix?
A cup with a long stem and two small handles
What other material could vessels be made from?
Gold
Information about the lion’s head rhyton
- Made from sheets of gold
- Found in Grave IV, Grace Circle A, Mycenae
- Container for pouring wine
- Wine was poured from top of the lion’s head and out of the mouth
- Made with hammering, granulation and repoussé techniques
What were the human figurines found in tombs assumed to be used as?
- Toys for children
- Votive offerings in hope of prayer fulfilment
What were the most recognisable human figurines? [3]
- Phi
- Psi
- Tau
(named after the Greek letters that they are shaped to look like)
What were phi, psi and tau thought to represent and why?
- Female goddesses
- Psi and phi usually showed females with prominent breasts
Describe what the female figurines would have looked like [2]
- Wearing fine jewellery
- Prominent breasts
Name what animals the figurines were usually shaped after [2]
- Coiled snakes (religious significance)
- Miniature pottery cattle
From what animals were tusks harvested from to make elaborate works of art? [3]
- Elephants
- Hippopotami
- Boars
What is the most famous sculpture made from ivory carving?
A child (possibly a young god) with two bare-breasted women (possibly goddesses)
