Here's a neat little essay on Etruscan and Greek Pottery that I did for Art History. Maybe someone will enjoy it out there
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| Krater of Antaeus by Euphronios. Athens, c. 515–510 BC Clay |
Due to most of the Etruscan cities being in ruins, not much is known about the
mysterious Etruscans. Most of our information gathered on the Etruscans came from looking
inside their tombs until very recently when other “non-funerary contexts” arose (Izzet 2008). The
Etruscans were also not a unified state, but spoke a similar language and was connected
culturally. This strong connection would enable those in Etruria to be able to get together and
spread this cultural influence all the way to Pompeii and to Greek cities. With this strong
connection and evenly distributed wealth, the Etruscans were able to trade with their neighbors
more frequently (Camporeale 2005). And one of their favorite things to trade for were Greek
vases. The fact that this piece of pottery and many others were found in Etruscan tombs instead
of Greece itself it shows that there was a strong interest in Greek pottery held by the Etruscans.
But this interest would go way beyond that of admiration. The religion and way of life depicted
in Greek pottery in Greece was created for a show of wealth and ideas deeply rooted in their
society, while the Etruscans would appropriate the vases into their daily lives.
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The “Krater of Antaeus” is a very well-known piece of Athenian pottery created by
Euphronios. This red-figure calyx-krater portrays a scene of two men on the floor fighting each
other, their heads interlocked, their bodies in movement and stress, and their faces starting to
show some distress. The women in the background take notice of the men and put their hands up
in shock as the gesture moving away, their clothes swaying as the begin to move. To the right,
we see a slain animal. On the other side, the audience can see men in flowing drapery sitting
down with their musical instruments, watching their companion take the stage. Their actions and
faces showing a much calmer state.
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| Athenian Black-figure Olpe attributed to Amasis 540-530 B.C. |
One of the most noticeable characteristics that jumps out to the audience at first glance
about this calyx krater by Euphronios is the very famous style that’s brought out by red-figure
pottery. This technique and style would most commonly be associated with the Archaic Greece
potters and was introduced around 530 BC after their experimentation with black-figure pottery.
Comparing this piece of Athenian pottery to the black-figure olpe attributed to Amasis in c. 540
BC, there is a great experimentation with naturalism in both anatomy, movement, and fabrics
presented in the calyx krater by Euphronios. However, one thing remains consistent in both
pieces of pottery, they both depict what seems to be daily life of the Athenians. In the calyx-
krater, a scene of young men in a music competition is being shown, while in the olpe the scene
is that of two banqueters relaxing on a couch while young men and women entertain them. But
these “daily life” scenes are not the daily lives of all Greeks but are very clearly aristocratic
scenes being portrayed by the Greeks. There is a “social exclusiveness” in what they depicted in
the vases, not every Athenian had the wealth to partake in these symposiums and music
competitions (Snodgrass 1981). Due to the Etruscans not being able to fully understand the
original meaning of Greek artwork, the vases are put out of context and can be given new
purposes and meanings (Spivey 1991). They began to adopt these Greek Elite customs and began
holding their own symposiums and using these exact vases to mix and drink wines from
Looking at this calyx krater by Euphronios, the women on the vase are made smaller than
the men in order to put more emphasis on the men. The fact that there are no women partaking in
the music competition gives the viewer a glimpse into Athenian ideals. Greece was the best place
for men to live in for they were wealthy and they all had equal say, but women were not given
the same luxuries as men. An example of this is in the olpe, where women were treated more as
entertainers than equals. The artwork depicted in the Etruscan tombs are known for showing
scenes of luxury and relaxation including both men and women. Women had more power in
these societies and this concept was not taken from the Greeks (Camporeale 2005). This shows
that although the Etruscans allowed themselves to be influenced by Greek artwork, they only
took what they wanted instead of fully participating in Greek customs and ideals.
A common focus in Athenian pottery would be on Greek mythology. These scenes of
Hercules wrestling Antaeus were not actually narratives but were instead used to evoke the
viewer into remembering the facts of specific events. These scenes show the mental part of
Greek culture rather than things that happened in their lives (Isler-kerenyi 2006). Etruscan
religious artwork would depict some gods that were shared by the Greeks but would add their
own twists. The Greeks understood that this artwork was in high demand but would not change
their subject matter regardless (Spivey 1991). This is possibly due to the fact that the Etruscans
were buying into the Greek mythology, that they did not have to change much of what was being
In conclusion, the Etruscans were able to pick and choose what part of Greek ideals they
would like to bring into their lives. They took a few religious beliefs and events from the Greeks
without always fully understanding the context. However, they did not fully conform into the
ideas of the Greeks and this is apparent in their treatment of women and the act of placing these
vases into their tombs. If most of these conclusions are based on funerary contexts, perhaps we
would be able to understand whether the vase played a more important part in the afterlife than
in the lives of the living if we held more information on the tomb it was found in.
In the end, I'm pretty sure I did not do well in this class. ♥
Sources
Bonfante, Larissa. 1986. “Etruscan Life and Afterlife: A Handbook of Etruscan Studies.”
Michigan: Wayne State University Press: 72
Camporeale, Giovannangelo. 2005. “The Etruscans outside Etruria.” California: J. Paul
Getty Museum: 18-23, 48, 87, and 256.
Isler-kerenyi, Cornelia. 2006. “Dionysos in Archaic Greece: An Understanding through
Images”, translated by Wilson, Wilfred G. E. Brill Academic Pub: 3
Izzet, Vedia. 2008. “The Archaeology of Etruscan Society.” Cambridge: Cambridge
Snodgrass, Anthony M. 1981. “Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment.” California:
University of California Press: 193
Spivey, Nigel. 1991. “Greek Vases in Etruria.” In Looking at Greek Vases, edited by
Tom Rasmussen and Nigel Spivey, 131-50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 143, 144
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