The Meidias Painter

Here, a gift for you! (Eden 2010) 

Meidias Vase.ppt  (Maryam and Nirvani 2011)

Meidias 2012.pptx  by Erika and Veronica 

16  MEDIAS PAINTER  -  HYDRIA

This is the last of the 16 vases that must be looked at in this part of the course. To say that it is very complex is, frankly, a gross understatement, but it's important that we go out with a bang!!

FACTSCAN

Date:              410 - 400 BC

Type:             Hydria-Red figure

Potter:           Meidias

Painter:         "Meidias Painter"

Height:          52.2 cms

Subject:                  Upper frieze:    The abduction of the daughters of Leukippos by

                                                Castor and Pollux from the sanctuary of Aphrodite.

               Lower -frieze:           Heracles seeking golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.

It may sound simple, but it's not.  The Lower frieze encircles the vase, and presents the most enormous range of named figures we have seen.  For Bursary purposes I don't think that it is necessary to know all of them, just a sprinkling, plus the important ones, or course.  You must of course know the background to the scene, and to what general groups of people that they belonged to.  This, then is the end of the pots.  Hurray! If you have a choice in Bursary, I would probably avoid this one.

Subject matter

Upper frieze:        Identification of characters

               Centre:                     Aphrodite

               High right centre:    Statue of Aphrodite

               Extreme left:            Zeus sitting on a rock holding a sceptre

               Next to Zeus:  Agaue (girl) running towards him

               Next to Agaue:        Chryseis kneeling in front of Aphrodite with flowers in her lap

               Extreme right:          Peithos running off, turning to see

               Mid-right lower:       Castor carrying off Eriphyle

               Higher left:               Pollux on a chariot with Hilaeria

               Higher right:             Castor's charioteer Chrysippos holding

                                                Castor's chariot

By position

               Bottom level:  Aphrodite, Agaue, Chryseis, Peithos and Zeus

               Middle level:   Castor and Eriphyle

               Lower level:    Chrysippos, statue of Aphrodite, Pollux and

                                       Hilaeria

Composition              Upper frieze:

The tableau is interrupted by the side handles and a large, crude palmette by the shoulder neck handle (not shown).  The painter has overcome these problems by using a modulating groundline and by saving the large space articles such as the horses for the upper areas of the vase.

Style and details       Upper frieze:

This vase is characterised by elegant poses and elegant drapery.  The abductors and charioteers wear highly decorative tunics.  Dismay at the abduction is shown by gesture rather than expression.  The figures are delicate and the movement convincing.  The figures' revealing drapery is parallelled in contemporary sculpture.