ZEUS' Loves – XVI: Ganymede
Ganymede, a young Trojan hero, considered to be "the most beautiful of mortals", was carried away by Zeus, who used him as his cupbearer on Olympus. Ganymede was carried off by Zeus – or, according to another version of the myth, by the eagle of Zeus – while he was watching his father's flocks near the town of Troy. Each side of this krater is composed according to a scheme that the Berlin Painter favored throughout his career: a figure standing out against the black surface of the bowl is placed on a band decorated with a meander.
On the krater side A, the young man is represented nude with his red hair undone, crowned with leaves in red highlights, walking and turning his hoop with a stick. In antiquity the hoop was one of the games used by children and young people. On this vase it symbolizes Ganymede's youth. Furthermore, the presence of a cock in his hand represents the loving gift that couples give each other, which appears on vases, and expresses the nascent game of seduction between Zeus and Ganymede.
On the side B, Zeus, wearing a himation and holding a scepter, is hurriedly heading towards the young man. The grace of the figures – particularly Ganymede – who are placed on each side of the vase, but united by an interplay of gestures and symbols, accentuates the sobriety and harmony of the composition.
The shape too of this vase is interesting. It’s a variant of the bell-krater, the lugged krater, characterized by the oblique positioning of the handles, was used during banquets for mixing wine and water. This type of krater is fairly rare in Attic vase production, but was frequently used by the Berlin Painter. Here, the potter has produced a krater with harmonious proportions: it has been noted that the height of the vase is equal to its diameter, and the diameter of the base is the same as the diameter of the hoop.
Source: Museum WEB notice
CARC / CAV www.beazley.ox.ac.uk
Attic lugged krater
Height 33 cm; diameter 33 cm.
Attributed to The Berlin Painter by Beazley
550 – 490 BC
Paris, Musée du Louvre
Inv. G 175
ZEUS' Loves – XVI: Ganymede
Ganymede, a young Trojan hero, considered to be "the most beautiful of mortals", was carried away by Zeus, who used him as his cupbearer on Olympus. Ganymede was carried off by Zeus – or, according to another version of the myth, by the eagle of Zeus – while he was watching his father's flocks near the town of Troy. Each side of this krater is composed according to a scheme that the Berlin Painter favored throughout his career: a figure standing out against the black surface of the bowl is placed on a band decorated with a meander.
On the krater side A, the young man is represented nude with his red hair undone, crowned with leaves in red highlights, walking and turning his hoop with a stick. In antiquity the hoop was one of the games used by children and young people. On this vase it symbolizes Ganymede's youth. Furthermore, the presence of a cock in his hand represents the loving gift that couples give each other, which appears on vases, and expresses the nascent game of seduction between Zeus and Ganymede.
On the side B, Zeus, wearing a himation and holding a scepter, is hurriedly heading towards the young man. The grace of the figures – particularly Ganymede – who are placed on each side of the vase, but united by an interplay of gestures and symbols, accentuates the sobriety and harmony of the composition.
The shape too of this vase is interesting. It’s a variant of the bell-krater, the lugged krater, characterized by the oblique positioning of the handles, was used during banquets for mixing wine and water. This type of krater is fairly rare in Attic vase production, but was frequently used by the Berlin Painter. Here, the potter has produced a krater with harmonious proportions: it has been noted that the height of the vase is equal to its diameter, and the diameter of the base is the same as the diameter of the hoop.
Source: Museum WEB notice
CARC / CAV www.beazley.ox.ac.uk
Attic lugged krater
Height 33 cm; diameter 33 cm.
Attributed to The Berlin Painter by Beazley
550 – 490 BC
Paris, Musée du Louvre
Inv. G 175