Classical Civilisation - Archaeology - Decorative Arts

What is fresco and how were they made?

Wall painting, made by:

• Lime plaster on wall

• Finer plaster, coloured dye added for patterns and pictures

• Impressions of string sometimes used to organise

What is niello and how is it prepared?

• Black mixture of metal, added to another metal

• Eventually hardens and blackens with contrast of other metal

What are filigree, granulation and cloisonne?

Filigree: fine metal wire formed into tracery

Granulation: surface covered in granules of precious metal

Cloisonne: wire soldered onto metal, gemstone added

What are repousse and fusion?

Repousse: Shape created by hammering malleable metal

Fusion: Thin metal sheets fused

Where are frescoes mainly found?

Palaces, sometimes in:

• Houses

• Workshops

• Public buildings

What are some different themes in frescoes?

Minoan: peaceful, creatures

Mycenaean: warfare, weapons

Overlap: women/goddesses, farming, nature, bull leaping

How was each colour sourced?

Black: Charcoal

Blue: Indigo for dye, copper compound for paint

Red: Insect eggs or madder (plant, both for dye), haematite (semi precious stone for paint)

White: Lime

Yellow: Onion skin or saffron (dye), ochre (paint)

Green: Mix blue and yellow, or ground malachite (semi precious stone)

What were all the colours used for?

Black: Outline colours

Blue: Backgrounds, show off, water etc

Red: Male skin colour

White: Background/contrast. Also used to show women high status and goddesses’ skin colour

Yellow: Lions, accent colours, hills

Green: Accent colour, patterns, details

What reasons make frescos useful?

• Contemporary

• Lots of detail

• Patterns organised into spaces

What are the limitations of them as evidence?

• Often broken and “restored” by archaeologists

• Perspective lacking

• Side on figures

• Not all colours survive

What kind of jewellery has been found and what does this show?

• Rings, beads, diadems, necklaces

This shows wealth, importance of beauty. Both men and women wore.

What does one storage vessel show?

• From Grave Circle A, Grave V

• Wood and gold material

• Likely to hold cosmetics, jewellery

• Gold plates depict lions chase deer. Antelope by other nature

Why was pottery used to create things like the Warrior Vase?

• Clay cheap and easy to use

• Accessible to Minoans and Mycenaeans

How was pottery made?

• Basic shape made

• Slip applied

• Slip often ferrous and created mixed design

What different types of storage vessels were there (1)?

• Pithos: massive and heavy, could be buried to keep things cool, but fire hazard if oil inside

• Amphora: small, narrower neck, elaborate

• Stirrup jar: Small and easy to handle, used for oil and wine

What different types of storage vessels were there (2)?

• Krater: wide and deep to mix wine. Elaborate

• Kylix: wide, shallow with handles to drink wine. Elaborate

• Rhyton: liquid comes from bottom, cone shape to come out and hold at wider end. For showing off, as was often gold and elaborate

What do we know of clay figurines?

• Of animals/humans

• Important to Mycenaeans or to gods

What can we tell of them from location of finding?

• Ornamental, ritual, burial goods

• Often in child tombs - toys?

• Later used as votive offerings to gods

What was the dual chariot and box chariot?

Dual: Semi circular extensions attached to main box

Box: Small, crewed by one or two men. On one man would throw javelin/spear. Two men would have above + bow

What were the quadrant and rail chariots?

Quadrant: Rare, D shaped floors, sides covered

Rail: Light, open frame, up to hip. Front corner may have curved up