This article re-examines the scenes on the well-known Athenian red- figured cup in the Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, potted by Euphronios and painted by the so-called Foundry Painter in ca. 490–480 B.C. The exterior shows scenes of mortal metalworkers, the interior the god Hephaistos...

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1. Verfasser:	Williams, Dyfri 1952- (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	2024
Zusammenfassung:	This article re-examines the scenes on the well-known Athenian red- figured cup in the Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, potted by Euphronios and painted by the so-called Foundry Painter in ca. 490–480 B.C. The exterior shows scenes of mortal metalworkers, the interior the god Hephaistos with the new armour for Achilles. The former soon became the quintessential images of the making and finishing of Greek bronze sculptures, and such an interpretation has prevailed for over 180 years. This article critically reviews all the elements of the scenes, including the shaft-furnace, the tools and the actions of the workers. As a result, while it is accepted that one side depicts the finishing of a large-scale bronze sculpture of a warrior, it argues that the other side shows not the joining together of parts of a statue of an athlete but, instead, its breaking up prior to melting down in the furnace. After a discussion of the possible reasons for such treatment of bronze sculptures, it is suggested that the scene reflects extreme military need (echoing that of Achilles), specifically the crisis of the first Persian invasion and, indeed, the imminent second.
Beschreibung:	Illustrationen
ISSN:	0075-2207