Vase Catalog Number: Chapel Hill 71.8.1

Essay: Shapiro No. 50

Attic Red-Figure Squat LekythosCollection of Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (71.8.1)
Manner of the Eretria Painter [A. Lezzi-Hafter]Ca. 430-420 B.C.Height: 21.3 cm.Diameter: 14.6 cm.Women at their toilette.

Seventeen women sit or stand in a variety of poses, in two registers, each holding an attribute which figured in the daily life of Athenian matrons and their maid-servants.

The figures are grouped in pairs, each consisting of a mistress and maid, with the exception of one threesome in the upper register: a seated mistress attended by two standing maids (Shapiro 1981a, drawing, pps. 130-131, nos. 3, 4, 5). Many poses are similar, but none exactly duplicates another, and variations in dress, coiffure, and attributes also help avoid monotony.

The most frequent attribute is a small chest or box, held by six of the figures (Shapiro 1981a, drawing, pps. 130-131, nos. 2, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15). Most of these chests are made of wicker and could have contained jewelry, toiletries, wool, articles of clothing, or other objects. They vary in size and shape: three have legs (ibid. nos. 5, 7, 12) and of these one has animal feet (ibid., no. 12). Some are richly patterned on the outside (ibid., nos. 2, 10), others plain. On one can be seen two round knobs (ibid. no. 5), which look like drawer pulls, but are probably for tying on the lid. Other attributes are a wicker wool basket (ibid., no. 9), a ball of wool (ibid. no. 11), mirrors (ibid. nos. 4, 13, 17), an alabastron for precious oil or perfume (ibid., no. 8), leafy sprigs (ibid. nos. 1, 14), and an embroidered headband with tasseled fringe (ibid., no. 16). In addition two objects are suspended from the wall behind: a headband (ibid., between 9 and 10) and an alabastron (ibid., between 3 and 4). This bottle, like the one held by a seated mistress (ibid., no. 8), is made of glass, decorated with a multi-colored zig-zag pattern, a type which has survived in several examples.

Four of the women sit on klismoi, backed chairs with curving legs (ibid., nos.4, 6, 11, 14; compare the Chapel Hill lekythos, Chapel Hill 78.15.1). One sits on a four-legged stool, a diphros (ibid., no.8). Most of the maids wear only a thin, crinkly linen garment, the chiton (e.g. ibid., no. 5), while several of the matrons wear a heavy woolen peplos (ibid., no.2, 16). Some wear both a chiton and, over it, a himation (e.g.ibid., no. 4). Most of the women wear their hair up and bound with a headband, or mitra, which may be patterned (ibid., nos. 5, 12). Only one mistress' hair hangs down in loose wavy tresses (ibid., no. 6); perhaps she will use the contents of the chest being handed to her to tie it up.

Squat lekythoi were first manufactured in Athens earlier in the fifth century and were especially popular during the period of this vase. They were used to contain oil and were primarily for use at home by women like those depicted on this example.

In style the vase is closely related to the work of the Eretria Painter, the greatest miniaturist of his generation. The disposition of the figures in superposed registers is unusual and is paralleled by only two other squat lekythoi, one by the Eretria Painter (ARV2, 1248, 9), the other by an imitator (ARV2, 1257, middle, 1). Originally attributed to the painter himself, the Chapel Hill vase is now considered to be more likely by an imitator closely associated with his workshop.

Keywords:

alabastron, animal, ball, basket, box, chair, chest, chiton, headband, holding, mirror, oil, peplos, perfume, wearing, woman, woman and maid, woman, seated, woman with mirror, woman with wool-basket, wool

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