François Vase

The François Vase, a milestone in the development of Greek pottery, is a large volute krater decorated in the black-figure style which stands at 66cm in height. Dated at circa 570 BCE it was found in 1844 in an Etruscan tomb in the necropolis of Fonte Rotella near Chiusi and named after its discoverer Alessandro François; it is now in the Museo Archeologico at Florence. It bears the inscription “Ergotimos epoiesen; Cleitias egraphsen” "Ergotimos made [me] ; Kleitias painted [me] ” - the first evidence that the roles of potter and painter had become separate at this early date. It depicts over 200 figures representing a number of mythological themes and as such it perhaps makes no overall narrative sense, however it has been suggested that its principal subject is the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. In 1900 a museum guard threw a stool at the case that contained the vase and smashed it into 638 pieces. It was restored in 1904 by Pietro Zei, and a second reconstruction took place in 1974 incorporating previously missing pieces.

The bands on the pot

Side A on the top band depicts the Calydonian Boar Hunt. It depicts the boar with Peleus, Meleager, Hippomenes, and Atalanta attacking it with spears while a dog and a hunter lie disemboweled underneath the boar.Side B depicts dancing Athenian youths.

Side A on the second band depicts the funeral games for Patroclus, Achilles's male lover, after he was killed in the Trojan War. It features a chariot race and Achilles standing in front of a bronze tripod, along with a dinos and another tripod, which would have been the prizes.Side B is the battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs at the marriage of Pirithous and Hippodamia. The centaurs became drunk from too much wine and one of the centaurs attempts to abduct the bride, which causes the fighting. Theseus and Caeneus are both featured.

Side A on the third band is the procession for the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. The use of procession is a key way to decorate the long, thin shape of a band. In the procession there is Chiron the centaur, numerous deities, and in the house's doorway Peleus with Thetis in the background in the correct position for a woman of that era i.e. behind her husband. There is a use of colour within the band although it is faded from age.

Side A on the fourth band is Achilles's pursuit of Troilus. Side B is the return of Hephaestus. Hera had thrown Hephaestus out of Olympus because he was crippled, so he sent her a present of a golden throne with invisible cords, which bound her to the throne when she sat on it. Dionysus succeeded in bringing Hephaestus back after Ares failed previously. Hera proclaimed Dionysus an Olympian, and afterward there was a feast. On the vase, Aphrodite faces Dionysus, who is leading a mule ridden by Hephaestus, followed by a group of silens and nymphs. Behind Aphrodite Zeus and Hera are seated on thrones, and behind them are Athena, Ares (sitting dejectedly because of his failure), Artemis, Poseidon, and Hermes. The literary sources for this myth are scant, and this scene on the François Vase is seen as the most complete, as well as the earliest.

The fifth band is decorative, with sphinxes and various beasts.

The band on the stand of the pot is the battle of the Pygmies and cranes.

References

* Antonio Minto: "Il Vaso François", Florence 1960
* "Materiali per servire alla storia del Vaso François". Rome 1981 (Bollettino d'arte, Serie speciale 1)
* Carpenter, T.H. (1991). "Art and Myth in Ancient Greece: A Handbook". Thames and Hudson: London.

External links

* [http://www.comune.firenze.it/soggetti/sat/didattica/museo.html Museo Archeologico]