Picturing Death in Classical Athens

Cambridge University Press
0521820162 - Picturing Death in Classical Athens - The Evidence of the White Lekythoi - by John H. Oakley
Frontmatter/Prelims

PICTURING DEATH IN CLASSICAL ATHENS

This is the first in-depth study of the pictures found on Attic white lekythoi. These funerary vases, placed in and on Athenian graves, have long been appreciated for their beautiful polychrome images that evoke the style of lost classical wall and mural paintings. The most important visual source for classical Greek funerary customs, they exhibit a range of subject matter, most of it connected with death. This richly illustrated volume closely examines the four major types of scenes: domestic pictures, the mythological conductors of the soul, the prothesis (wake), and visits to the grave. In addition to an analysis of the iconographical development of each type, it places these pictures in their historical, social, cultural, archaeological, and literary contexts, documenting relationships between the “rites of passage,” Athenian history, the changing perceptions of death in fifth-century Athens, and funerary epigrams and laments.

John H. Oakley is Chancellor Professor and Forrest D. Murden, Jr., Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical Studies at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. A scholar of Greek painting, he is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Phiale Painter and The Achilles Painter. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN CLASSICAL ART AND ICONOGRAPHY

SERIES EDITOR

H. A. Shapiro, The Johns Hopkins University

ADVISORY BOARD

William Childs, Princeton University

Roger Ling, University of Manchester

Sarah Morris, University of California, Los Angeles

Robin Osborne, Cambridge University

Olga Palagia, University of Athens

Jerome Pollitt, Yale University

Cambridge Studies in Classical Art and Iconography is a program of scholarly monographs that best represent the rapid and profound changes in the scholarship of one of the oldest and most respected disciplines in the humanities. A major goal of this series is to understand ancient art not merely as aesthetic objects, but as part of an intrinsic visual language of a distant culture. Books in this series will, typically, be devoted to studies of a single artist, stylistic issues, or iconography of a particular theme in a specific period. Interpretive in the broadest sense, these works will also provide a link between art history and other related fields in the study of classical antiquity, including history, philosophy, and religion.

PICTURING DEATH IN CLASSICAL ATHENS

THE EVIDENCE OF THE WHITE LEKYTHOI

JOHN H. OAKLEY

The College of William and Mary

PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2004

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge

Typefaces Bembo 11/13.5 pt. and Lithos System LATEX 2_e [TB]

A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Oakley, John Howard, 1949–
Picturing death in classical Athens : the evidence of the white lekythoi / John H. Oakley.
  p. cm. – (Cambridge studies in classical art and iconography)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-521-82016-2
1. Lecythi. 2. Vase-painting, Greek – Greece – Athens – Themes, motives. 3. Athens
(Greece) – Funeral customs and rites. I. Title. II. Series.
NK4650.L5O34   2004
738.3′82′09385–DC21       2003040904

ISBN 0 521 82016 2 hardback

FOR ANNA SHAW BENJAMIN AND MARY B. MOORE

CONTENTS

	List of Illustrations	page xi
	Abbreviations	xix
	Foreword	xxiii

1	INTRODUCTION	1

2	DOMESTIC SCENES	19

3	THE PROTHESIS	76

4	MYTH AND MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES	88

5	SCENES AT THE GRAVE	145

6	PUTTING THE PICTURES INTO CONTEXT	215

	Notes	233
	Bibliography	255
	General Index	261
	Index of Greek Vase-Painters	267

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATES I–VIII (APPEAR BETWEEN PAGES 124 AND 125)

IA	Two women preparing to visit the grave, Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Timokrates Painter, ca. 460 B.C.
IB	Two women musicians, Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 470–460 B.C.
IIA–B	Prothesis, Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 450 B.C.
IIIA	Nike, Attic white lekythos by the Carlsruhe Painter, ca. 460 B.C.
IIIB	Amazon, Attic white lekythos by the Klügmann Painter, ca. 440–430 B.C.
IVA	Atalanta Lekythos. Painted white-ground terra-cotta, attributed to Douris, Greek, Athenian, 500–490 B.C.
IVB	Hermes escorting a woman to Charon, Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.
VA–B	Hypnos and Thanatos with a warrior’s body at the grave, Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.
VIA	Aeneas and Anchises, Attic white lekythos by the Brygos Painter, ca. 490–480 B.C.
VIB	Visit to the grave, Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.
VIIA–B	Visit to the grave, Attic white lekythos by the Vouni Painter, ca. 460 B.C.
VIIIA–B	Visit to the grave, Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 440–435 B.C.

FIGURES

IA	Deianeira-shaped black-figure lekythos	page 5
IB	Black-figure shoulder lekythos by the Amasis Painter	5
IC	Red-figure cylindrical lekythos by the Tithonos Painter	5
ID	Red-figure squat lekythos by the Kleophon Painter	5
2	X-ray of an Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter showing the interior container	7
3	Seated woman making a wreath. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1826, ca. 460 B.C.	23
4	Woman balancing a stick. Attic white lekythos by the Lupoli Painter, ca. 450 B.C.	23
5	Woman stuffing a pillow with wool. Attic white lekythos by the Pan or Brygos Painter, ca. 470 B.C.	24
6	Woman about to place a folded cloth into a wooden chest. Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Providence Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	25
7	Woman seated on rock holding a fillet. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 450 B.C.	26
8	Woman adjusting her chiton before a hydria atop a base. Attic white lekythos by the Klügmann Painter, ca. 440–430 B.C.	26
9	Warrior. Attic white lekythos, ca. 450 B.C.	31
10	Youth in Thracian garb by a stele. Attic white lekythos, ca. 460–450 B.C.	31
11	Horseman. Attic white lekythos by the Reed Painter, ca. 420–410 B.C.	31
12	Seated man. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Manner of the Providence Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	32
13	Two women preparing a funerary basket. Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 470–460 B.C.	33
14	Woman and a maid with a child on her shoulders. Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	44
15	Two women by a kalathos. Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 470–460 B.C.	45
16	Two women, the seated one making a wreath. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1826, ca. 460 B.C.	46
17	Woman reading to another woman. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1826, ca. 460 B.C.	46
18	Two women with a crane. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Circle of the Villa Giulia Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	47
19	Mistress and maid. Attic white lekythos attributed to Probably by the Nikon Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	47
20	Two women with armor. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	48
21	Two women with a baby boy. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	48
22	Two women preparing to visit a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	49
23	Two women dressing. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 445–435 B.C.	49
24–25	Two women. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 445–440 B.C.	50–1
26–27	Two women musicians. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 445–440 B.C.	52
28	Two women. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	53
29–30	Two women. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Manner of the Woman Painter, ca. 430–420 B.C.	54
31	Two women and winged boy (Eros?). Attic white lekythos, ca. 430 B.C.	55
32	Two women. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 440–430 B.C.	55
33	Two women playing with a top. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	56
34	Youth departing or arriving. Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 470–460 B.C.	62
35	Youth departing. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1943, ca. 450–440 B.C.	63
36	Warrior departing. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 440–435 B.C.	63
37–38	Woman and warrior. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 440–435 B.C.	64–5
39	Warrior departing. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1826, ca. 460 B.C.	66
40	Woman and youth. Attic white lekythos by the Timokrates Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	67
41	Youth departing. Attic white lekythos by the Houston Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	71
42–44	Arming scene. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 440–430 B.C.	72
45–46	Three women. Attic white lekythos, ca. 430 B.C.	73
47	Prothesis. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of the New York Hypnos, ca. 440–430 B.C.	80
48	Prothesis. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	81
49	Prothesis: head of dead youth. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	81
50	Prothesis. Attic white lekythos by the Woman Painter, ca. 430–420 B.C.	82
51–53	Prothesis. Attic white lekythos by the Triglyph Painter, ca. 410 B.C.	83
54	Prothesis. Attic white lekythos belonging to the Group of Huge Lekythoi, ca. 400 B.C.	84
55	Woman carrying dead boy. Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Inscription Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	84
56	Athena. Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Vouni Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	92
57–58	Kitharode and Nike. Attic white lekythos, ca. 460–450 B.C.	93
59–60	Persephone and Demeter. Attic white lekythos, ca. 460–450 B.C.	94–5
61–62	Muses on Helikon. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 445–435 B.C.	96–7
63	Danaë and the Golden Rain. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Workshop of the Beldam Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	102
64	Aeneas and Anchises. Attic white lekythos by the Brygos Painter, ca. 480 B.C.	103
65	Oedipus and the Sphinx. Attic white lekythos by the Lupoli Painter, ca. 450 B.C.	104
66	Akrisios at the tomb or cenotaph of Perseus. Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Achilles Painter, ca. 450 B.C.	107
67	Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Tymbos Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	114
68–69	Hermes bringing a youth to Charon. Attic red-figure amphora of Panathenaic shape by the Kleophon Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	114
70–71	Hermes bringing a youth to Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	115
72	Hermes bringing a woman to Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	115
73–74	Charon and bearded man. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	118
75–76	Boy with roller and mother awaiting Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Munich 2335, ca. 430 B.C.	119
77–78	Boy awaiting Charon by the tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 425 B.C.	120
79	Woman awaiting Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Reed Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	121
80–81	Charon and a youth at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Reed Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	121
82–84	Charon and woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos attributed to Group R, ca. 420–410 B.C.	122
85	Youth and woman at a tomb with Charon. Attic white lekythos by the Triglyph Painter, ca. 410 B.C.	123
86	Husband and wife by Charon’s boat, in which their son stands. Attic white lekythos, ca. 430 B.C.	124
87	Youth with an obol seated at a tomb with Charon and a woman. Attic white lekythos, ca. 420 B.C.	124
88	Hypnos and Thanatos with a body before a tomb. Attic white lekythos Associated with the Painter of London 1905, ca. 470–460 B.C.	127
89–90	Hypnos and Thanatos with the body of a young warrior. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	130–1
91	Hypnos and Thanatos with a body before a tomb marked by a tree, as Hermes stands nearby. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	132
92–94	Hypnos and Thanatos with the body of a woman. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	133
95	Hypnos and Thanatos with the body of a woman before a tomb, Hermes and Charon nearby. Attic white lekythos, ca. 430–420 B.C.	134
96	Hypnos and Thanatos on the finial of a gravestone. Attic white lekythos, ca. 420 B.C.	134
97–99	Two women at a grave; on the steps of the grave a hydria showing Hypnos and Thanatos holding a body. Attic white lekythos, ca. 450–440 B.C.	135–7
100	Hermes and a winged female divinity at the tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 425 B.C.	138
101	Thanatos pursuing a woman by a grave. Attic white lekythos attributed to Group R, ca. 420 B.C.	138
102	Hermes and eidola at a pithos. Attic white lekythos by the Tymbos Painter, ca. 460 B.C.	139
103	Hermes Psychopompos leading a woman. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Athens 1826, ca. 460 B.C.	139
104–105	Hermes and a woman at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Phiale Painter, ca. 435–430 B.C.	142–3
106–108	Women at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Beldam Painter, ca. 480–470 B.C.	147
109–110	Woman at a tomb with a sphinx atop a base. Attic white lekythos, ca. 470–460 B.C.	148
111	Woman crying at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Inscription Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	149
112–113	Woman and man at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Inscription Painter, ca. 460–450 B.C.	150
114	Woman seated at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Tymbos Painter, ca. 450 B.C.	151
115	Prothesis and a tomb. Attic white lekythos attributed to Related to the Tymbos Painter, ca. 470–460 B.C.	151
116–117	Woman and a youth at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	152
118–119	Two youths at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	153
120–121	Old man and a warrior at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 450–445 B.C.	160–1
122	Black maid at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	162
123	Thracian maid and a woman holding a hare at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Phiale Painter, ca. 435–430 B.C.	163
124	Youth with a lyre by a tomb attended by a woman holding a hare. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Munich 2335, ca. 430 B.C.	166
125	Eidolon (ghost?) of a woman seated on the steps of a tomb attended by two women. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	166
126	Youth seated on a grave attended by another youth and a woman. Attic white lekythos attributed to Group R, ca. 420–410 B.C.	167
127–129	Woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Woman Painter, ca. 430–420 B.C.	170
130	Family at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	171
131–132	Girl holding out a doll and a woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	174
133	Athlete and a woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	175
134–135	Woman and a man at a woman’s grave. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, 445–440 B.C.	176–7
136–137	Youth hunting a hare at the tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	178–9
138	Youth with a hoop at a tomb. Attic white lekythos, ca. 440–435 B.C.	180
139	Youths playing knucklebones at a tomb. Attic red-figure amphora of Panathenaic shape by the Kleophon Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	180
140	Traveler’s departure at a tomb. Attic white lekythos, ca. 425 B.C.	180
141–142	Warriors arming at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	183
143	Fight at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Woman Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	183
144–145	Fight. Attic white lekythos by the Reed Painter, ca. 420–410 B.C.	184–5
146	Horseman at a grave. Attic white lekythos, ca. 440 B.C.	188
147	Persian and a woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Sabouroff Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	188
148	Two Persians. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	188
149–150	Youth playing a lyre on a tomb attended by a man and a youth. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Group of Berlin 2459, ca. 430–420 B.C.	189
151–152	Two women and an eidolon at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Woman Painter, ca. 430–420 B.C.	190
153	Woman and a maid at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	190
154	Types of grave monuments drawn on white lekythoi. Drawing: after Nakayama (1982), 279, Tabelle 1	193
155	Woman decorating a tomb. Attic white lekythos, ca. 430 B.C.	194
156–157	Kneeling man and a youth at a sarcophagus. Attic white lekythos attributed to Near the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	195
158–159	Man and a woman at a sarcophagus. Attic white lekythos by the Thanatos Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	196–7
160	Woman pouring a libation from a hydria by an altar near a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Painter of Munich 2335, ca. 430 B.C.	198
161	Acanthus column marking a grave. Attic white lekythos, ca. 430–420 B.C.	199
162	Women at a tomb. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Manner of the Bird Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	200
163	Women at a grave marked by a tree. Attic white lekythos by the Quadrate Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	200
164	Youths at a tomb decorated with a marble lekythos. Attic white lekythos, ca. 420 B.C.	201
165	Warrior and a woman at a tomb. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Manner of the Achilles Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	202
166	Youths at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Achilles Painter, ca. 450–445 B.C.	203
167	Woman and men at a grave with white lekythoi. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Revelstoke Group, ca. 420 B.C.	206
168	Woman and a warrior at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Bosanquet Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	207
169–170	Woman pouring a libation at a grave. Attic white lekythos by the Woman Painter, ca. 420 B.C.	208
171	Youth with a bird in a cage at a tomb. Attic white lekythos by the Bird Painter, ca. 430 B.C.	209
172	Two women at a tomb. Attic white lekythos attributed to the Workshop of the Achilles Painter and the Phiale Painter, ca. 440 B.C.	209
173	Attic marble lekythos with a tomb scene, ca. 400–375 B.C.	220
174	Attic marble tombstone with a maid holding out a boy to his mother, ca. 420–410 B.C.	221
175	The Rites of Passage. Drawing: after L. Danforth, The Death Rituals of Rural Greece (Princeton, N.J., 1972), 36, fig. 1	226

ABBREVIATIONS

AA	Archäologischer Anzeiger
ABL	C. H. E. Haspels, Attic Black-figured Lekythoi (Paris, 1936)
ABV	J. D. Beazley, Attic Black-figure Vase-Painters (Oxford, 1956)
AchillesPt	J. H. Oakley, The Achilles Painter (Mainz, 1997)
AE	Άρχαιολογικὴ Έφημερίς
Add²	T. H. Carpenter, Beazley Addenda, 2d ed. (Oxford, 1989)
AJA	American Journal of Archaeology
Alexiou, Lament	M. Alexiou, The Ritual Lament in Greek Tradition (Cambridge, 1974)
AM	Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung
AntK	Antike Kunst
ArchDelt	Άρχαιολογικὸν Δελτίον
ARV²	J. D. Beazley, Attic Red-figure Vase-Painters, 2d ed. (Oxford, 1963)
BCH	Bulletin de correspondance hellénique
BM	British Museum
BSA	The Annual of the British School at Athens
BWP_r	Winckelmannsprogram der Archäologischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin
CAT	C. W. Clairmont, Classical Attic Tombstones (Kilchberg, 1993)
City Beneath the City	Λ. Πάρλαμα – Ν. Χρ. Σταμπολίδης, Η Πολη κατω απο την Πολη (Athens, 2000)
Clairmont, Patrios Nomos	C. W. Clairmont, Patrios Nomos. Public Burial in Athens during the Fifth and Fourth Centuries B.C. (Oxford, 1983)
CVA	Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum
DAI	Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
DarSag	C. Daremberg and E. Saglio, Dictionnaire des antiquités grecques et romaines (Paris, 1875)
Fairbanks	A. Fairbanks, Athenian White Lekythoi, vols. Ⅰ and Ⅱ (New York, 1907 and 1914)
Felten, Kerameikos	F. Felten, “Weissgrundige Lekythen aus dem Athener Kerameikos,” AM 91 (1976): 77–113
Garland, Death	R. Garland, The Greek Way of Death (Ithaca, N.Y., 1985)
Hame, Nomizomena	J. K. Hame, Ta Nomizomena: Private Greek Death-Ritual in the Historical Sources and Tragedy (Ph.D. diss., Bryn Mawr, 1999)
Hoffmann, Sotades	H. Hoffmann, Sotades. Symbols of Immortality on Greek Vases (Oxford, 1997)
Holst-Warhaft, Voices	G. Holst-Warhaft, Dangerous Voices: Women’s Laments and Greek Literature (London and New York, 1992)
JdI	Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts
JHS	Journal of Hellenic Studies
Kavvadias, Sabouroff	G. G. Kavvadias, Ο Ζωγραφος του Sabouroff (Athens, 2000)
Kerameikos Ⅶ,2	E. Kunze-Götte et al., Die Nekropole von der Mitte des 6. bis zum Ende des 5. Jahrhunderts. Die Beigaben, Kerameikos Ⅶ, 2 (Munich, 1999)
Koch-Brinkmann, Polychrome	U. Koch-Brinkmann, Polychrome Bilder auf weissgrundigen Lekythen (Munich, 1999)
Kurtz, AWL	D. C. Kurtz, Athenian White Lekythoi (Oxford, 1975)
Kurtz-Boardman	D. C. Kurtz and J. Boardman, Greek Burial Customs (Ithaca, N.Y., 1971)
LIMC	Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich, 1981–99)
MAR	Museo Archeologico Regionale
MFA	Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
MMA	Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
MN	Museo Nazionale
MonPiot	Monuments et mémoires. Fondation E. Piot
MuM	Münzen und Medaillen
Nakayama	N. Nakayama, Untersuchung der auf weissgrundigen Lekythen dargestellten Grabmaeler (Freiburg, 1982)
NM	National Museum
ÖJh	Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes in Wien
Pandora	E. D. Reeder, Pandora: Women in Classical Greece (Princeton, N.J., 1995)
Para	J. D. Beazley, Paralipomena (Oxford, 1971)
PhialePt	J. H. Oakley, The Phiale Painter (Mainz, 1990)
Pottier, Étude	E. Pottier, Étude sur les lécythes blancs attiques (Paris, 1883)
RE	Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft
Reading Greek Death	C. Sourvinou-Inwood, ‘Reading’ Greek Death to the End of the Classical Period (Oxford, 1995)
Reilly, Mistress-Maid	J. Reilly, “Many Brides: ‘Mistress and Maid’ on Athenian Lekythoi,” Hesperia 58 (1989): 411–44
Riezler	W. Riezler, Weissgrundige attische Lekythen (Munich, 1914)
Roberston, AVPCA	M. Robertson, The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens (Cambridge, 1992)
Shapiro, Mourning	H. A. Shapiro, “The Iconography of Mourning in Athenian Art,” AJA 95 (1991): 629–56
Shapiro, Personifications	H. A. Shapiro, Personifications in Greek Art. The Representation of Abstract Concepts 600–400 B.C. (Kilchberg, 1993)
Thanatos-Kleophon	F. Felten, Thanatos- und Kleophonmaler (Munich, 1971)
van de Put	W. van de Put, “The Development of the White-ground Lekythos in the Later Fifth Century and Its Relationship to Red-figure Vase-Painting.” Thesis, University of Amsterdam, 1988
Vermeule, Aspects	E. Vermeule, Aspects of Death in Early Greek Art and Poetry (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1979)
Waser, Charon	O. Waser, Charon, Charun, Charos (Berlin, 1898)
Wehgartner, AWK	I. Wehgartner, Attisch weissgrundige Keramik (Mainz, 1983)

FOREWORD

ttic white lekythoi with polychrome decoration are very special vessels. Not only are some of the most beautiful of all Greek vase-paintings among their number, but more is known about them than perhaps any other major class of pottery from antiquity, with the possible exception of Panathenaic amphorae. For the most part, we know how the lekythoi were made, that they were oil containers, that they were called lekythoi in ancient Athens, that their function was primarily funerary, and that they were mainly produced and used in one region of the ancient world, Athens/Attica, for a limited period of time, ca. 470–400 B.C. Nevertheless, although scholars have paid considerable attention to them, no thorough study of the scenes decorating them exists. This book aims to remedy the situation by providing a detailed analysis of their pictures, while also seeking to find the reasons why these specific images were chosen and deemed suitable by ancient Athenians for their funerary rites – a basic question that has never been fully addressed.

The Introduction surveys the history of scholarship about these vessels and places them in their broad archaeological, artistic, cultural, and historical settings. Each of the four following chapters is devoted to a major category of scene: domestic, the prothesis, mythological, and visit to the grave. The primary approach in these four chapters is a traditional, iconographical one that looks at the images chronologically, observing how compositions continue or change over time and their relationship to each other, although readers will observe that I often look beyond these basic tenets. Special attention has been paid to individual vase-painters, pointing out their role in this process, a factor all too often forgotten in iconographical studies. The final chapter is iconological and seeks to place the images in their precise contexts. The reasons for the start and end of the white-ground lekythoi, as well as the social, cultural, and artistic reasons for the choice of the images depicted on them are explored. A variety of methodologies is incorporated, including anthropological theory and semiotics. In addition, parallels between the images’ compositional structure and the attitudes toward death displayed by them, and those exhibited in Greek literature, are used to support the interpretations presented.

I have attempted to write a book that is of use to both student and scholar, hoping that the former will forgive places where I have not given extensive background information, and the latter where I have given too much. For this reason I have kept the endnotes short, normally referring only to the most recent and important discussions, which in turn refer back to earlier bibliography. No compromise is ever really completely satisfactory to all, but my goal of making the study useful to a broad audience is, I hope, an acceptable reason for any perceived defect. As the reader will discover, the range of subjects and the amount of variety in depicting any one subject on the lekythoi are greater than most scholars have realized in the past, for which reason I have also tried to illustrate a good number of the vessels I talk about. In this way this study may also serve as a form of handbook.

Lists of lekythoi with specific subjects are given for Chapters 2, 3, and 4 to facilitate easy reference and for the reader quickly to obtain an idea of just how popular a specific scene was with a particular artist. These lists are not meant to be complete, for too many lekythoi remain unpublished and in storerooms inaccessible to scholars to make this feasible. When the header for a list starts with “some,” this indicates that the list represents only a selection and is less complete than others. No overall list is provided for Chapter 5, as the vast majority of the more than two thousand known lekythoi show scenes at the grave, the subject of that chapter, which makes such a list not only cumbersome but also logistically impractical. The references to the individual vases are not complete, although I provide one to an illustration whenever possible. The reader should consult the references given for additional bibliography, particularly for vases cited in Beazley’s lists.

The Bibliography lists only those works directly concerned with white-ground lekythoi, so that it may serve as a research tool for those interested in the subject. These studies are referred to in the Notes by the author’s last name and year of publication, unless they are abbreviated. Other references are given in full, with the exception of those found in the List of Abbreviations at the start of the book. Translations are my own, unless otherwise noted. “White” and “white-ground” are used interchangeably according to convention.

or access to the collections under their care, photographs, and/or permission to publish I am indebted to: G. Fiorentini (Agrigento); H. Brijder, W. van de Put (Amsterdam); H. R. Goette, N. Kaltsas, V. Sabetai, J. Stroszeck, O. Tzachou-Alexandri, I. Zervoudaki (Athens); S. D. Bundrick (Atlanta); A. Shapiro (Baltimore); P. Blome, H. A. Cahn, V. Slehoferova (Basel); I. Bialas, U. Kästner, I. Trabert (Berlin); I. Jucker (Bern); W. Geominy (Bonn); B. Breed, M. Comstock, J. Herrmann, Jr., L. Ross, C. C. Vermeule (Boston); C. Tytgat (Brussels); D. Mitten (Cambridge, Mass.); F. Giudice (Catania); K. Sommer (Cavigliano); R. Bell (Christchurch); R. Rosenzweig (Cleveland); B. Bungaard Rasmussen, M. Hermannsen, L. Leegaard (Copenhagen); N. Bookidis (Corinth); R. Hannah, S. Reeves (Dunedin); M. C. Lentini, R. Panvini (Gela); J. Chamay (Geneva); S. Klinger (Haifa); T. Berg (Hamburg); H. Pflug (Heidelberg); S. Gray (Hobart); V. Paul-Zinserling (Jena); M. Maass (Karlsruhe); R. Halbertsma (Leiden); K. Lowe, D. Williams (London); M. Le Payen (Lyon); J. Stofflet (Madison, Wisc.); S. Buckley, K. Camp (Merion, Pa.); V. Brinkmann, M. Bentz, S. Moraw (Munich); S. Matheson (New Haven, Conn.); G. Max Bernheimer, D. von Bothmer, J. R. Mertens, C. Picon (New York); S. Hadjisavvas, V. Karageorghis (Nicosia); M. Vickers (Oxford); E. Giorgianni (Palermo); M. Denoyelle, A. Kardianou (Paris); J. Michael Padgett (Princeton, N.J.); G. Deschênes-Wagner (Quebec); S. Schmidt (Regensburg); G. Andreassi (Taranto); B. von Freytag gen. Löringhoff (Tübingen); B. Kratzmüller, E. Trinkl, G. Wlach, A. Bernhard-Walcher (Vienna); and I. Wehgartner (Würzburg). I also wish to thank Donna Kurtz and Thomas Mannack for facilitating use of the Beazley Archive; Dietrich von Bothmer for access to his photographic archive, as well as other favors; Leslie Ashbrook for help with proofreading; Stefan Schmidt, for kindly sharing preliminary versions of his work on lekythoi; Michael Padgett and Jenifer Neils for numerous references; and Nils Slater, for quickly sending copies of his work on Aristophanes. There are certainly others whom I have forgotten to mention, but I hope they will forgive my oversight, for I do appreciate their help.

Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York enabled me to write this book, and to both I am deeply grateful for their support. I also wish to thank the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Department of Classics at Princeton University for their Gastfreundschaft. While in Athens as an Elizabeth G. Whitehead Visiting Professor, I had the chance to develop many of my ideas in a seminar for the students on white-ground lekythoi. To the participants I wish to express my great appreciation for their help in refining my arguments. The College of William and Mary provided a semester research grant and book subsidy, as well as a home base to finish this project, all of which I gratefully acknowledge, and I am likewise indebted to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for financial help with the cost of publication.

A special thanks goes to Alan Shapiro and the referees for their very helpful comments upon reading an earlier draft of this monograph. Alan very kindly helped procure this book for the series Cambridge Studies in Classical Art and Iconography, and I thank both him and Beatrice Rehl, senior editor at Cambridge University Press, for their help and support in seeing this book successfully through press.

his volume is dedicated to two people. The first is Anna Shaw Benjamin, the teacher who ignited my interest in archaeology. Without her encouragement at a very early stage I might never have become a classical archaeologist. She taught me how to consider broad questions using an interdisciplinary approach, a modus operandi in which she was far ahead of her time. The second is Mary B. Moore, my friend and colleague at the Agora in Athens and on the editorial committee of the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. I have learned much from Mary over the years, both through conversation and by example, for her scholarship, among its many excellent qualities, always demonstrates the highest degree of accuracy and clarity. This is an attempt to say thank you to both for their enthusiastic, unfailing support and help over the years.

J.H.O.

Williamsburg, Virginia

October 1, 2002

PICTURING DEATH IN CLASSICAL ATHENS