Object ID
2003.37.29
Object Name
Bowl
Object Collection
JANE SARLAS FONTANA (is part of)
Material
CERAMIC
Object Entities
Zeus, (is related to)
Apollo, (is related to)
Posiedon, (is related to)
Ares, (is related to)
Hephaestus, (is related to)
Hermes, (is related to)
Artemis, (is related to)
Hestia, (is related to)
Demeter, (is related to)
Aphrodite, (is related to)
Athena, (is related to)
Hera, (is related to)
Object Description
Small ceramic bowl decorated with raised scene of the seated twelve main Greek gods. The rim and foot of the bowl is completely smooth and the entire vessel is in a red clay color.
To start off the scene we have the god Zeus. He can be determained as such for the inscription to the left of his head. He is in a seated pose, slightly leaning back. His right hand is brought up behind his head and bend upward, gripping a lightning bolt. His left hand is extended forward, also bent and holding onto a staff. Physically he is shown as a mature man, by the fact that he has a fully grown beard and longer hair. He is shown muscular with deep eching into the clay to define each muscle. He is wearing a long draped fabirc which does not cover his chest. His legs are spread farther a part and open. Standing to his right is an eagle, also showing that this is the god Zeus. The eagle stands up to his hip and is hidden slightly behind him, his tail feathers are not shown. He is also looking in a slight upward glance.
Standing to the right of Zeus is the god Apollo, which, like Zeus, is formally named by an inscription with his name to the left of his head. He is in a standing position: hips and chest facing forward, but head and feet facing the left. Both arms are slightly bent and he is holding a lyer which is positioned at his left hip. He has a single sheet of fabric that is draped over his left shoulder, arounf his back and over is right bent arm. He is shown as a younger male with no facial hair and short curly hair. He is also shown very muscular with incuts to define each muscle.
To Apollo's right is the god Posiedon, named by inscription. He is shown riding a dolphin, which is also riding in the waves below it. Unlike the two previous gods Posiedon is facing the right, only his chest is facing the center. His right arm is stretched outword and bent at the elbow and his hand is gripping a triton. His left arm is held down and bent in at the elbow and his arm is held open with nothing inside. He is shown as a mature man with a long beard and longer hair. He has fabric drapped around his waist, flowing down to his mid thigh, but his chest is exposed. He like the others have cuts in the clay to define the muscles.
More in the sequence of gods, next to the right is the god Ares. He is shown seated on his round shield. The shield itself has two smaller circles within it and the border of it is deocrated with small dots. Ares's is shown sitting up right with arms down, bent at the elbows and resting on his thighs. His legs are also bent, with his left leg bent slightly farther back then the right (his left shin is hidden behind the right). He also has just a simple sheet of fabric that is draped around his waist, not covering his chest or much of his legs. Unlike the other gods Ares is shown much more musclar with heavier cuts to add even more definition. He is also shown as a younger male with no facial hair.
To the right of Ares is the god Hephaestus, also named. He is facing the right and is in a kneeling position over a harth going some sort of blacksmithing. In his right hand, which is bent and in an upward direction he is holding a hammer and in his left, which is bent slightly forward, he is holding tongs. He had fabric wrapped around his waist, which also drapes down to mid thigh on his left leg, but completely covers the shown part of his right. He is not shown with a beard, but does have long hair.
To the right there is the god Hermes, named to the right of his head. His head and legs are facing the right but chest and hip are centered. He is wearing talarias and is floating above the ground. In his left had he is carrying caduceus and it is positioned right in front of his genitalia. He has nothing but a cape on that appears as though it is blowing back behind him. He has a winged helmet on so no hair is seen.
Next to him at the right is the goddess Artemis, there is no name to her, but for the fact that she is shown as a female in mens clothing it is safe to assume this is the only god that would fit the description. She is shown standing with a slight lean backwards and her left arm raised up and bent backwards and her right arm is not able to be seen. She is wearing a short males toga and has a much thinner waist and large chest than any other of the characters.
The the right of Artemis is the goddess Hestia, who like most others has her name to the left of her. She is shown in full peplos. She is standing upright and looking to the right. Both arms are bent upward, hand lay at shoulder hieght and in her right hand it a bowl. She has long wavy hair that falls just about shoulder length.
Next to her is another goddess, Demeter. She is facing the left, knees slightly bent, as well has her arms, which are pointing upwards. In her left hand she is holding a strand of wheat. Her right hand is bent up to her head and holding on to a basket which is placed on her head.
The next goddess in like is Aphrodite. She is shown topless and has fabric draped across her hips that also flows down to the floor her left arm is bent upwards and holds an apple in her had and her left arm is bent downwards embracing her son Eros, the naked winged baby.
Next to the two of them is the goddess Athena who is wear a chiton plus what looks like armor due to the swirl marks at her chest. She has a helmet on and carries a spear in her left hand, in the right holding a winged figurine.
Lastly there is the figure of Hera, seated on the left side of Zeus. Like Zeus she is holding a staff, hers in her right. She also has a bowl in her lap that she is holding with her left. She is wearing the chiton, which has no sleeves but is full length to the floor. Her hair is up in a bun, but the waves of it are still present.
On the very bottom of the bowl is an inscription saying "Made in Greece" and there is also an image that looks like the side profile of a bowl with the initials "MN" in it.
Origin
Found among Jane Sarlas estate, donated by Chris Sarlas. This was a souvenir brough over from Greece. Due to the inscription on the bottom of the bowl saying "Made in Greece" it is clear that this is not an ancient artifact but a modern creation made to apperar older than it is. The wash and images shown on the bowl show that this was made with influence from the ancients.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Bowl, JANE SARLAS FONTANA, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/7090. Accessed 03/29/24.