AN ATTIC BLACK-FIGURED EYE-CUP

GROUP OF THE COURTING CUPS, CIRCA 530 B.C.

Details

AN ATTIC BLACK-FIGURED EYE-CUP
GROUP OF THE COURTING CUPS, CIRCA 530 B.C.
One side with a courtship scene between large white eyes, with a bearded adult male fondling an adolescent youth, both depicted nude, a wreath in the youth's lowered right hand; the other side with a nude athlete moving to the right between large white eyes, his legs straight and his elbows bent, wearing a chlamys, the eyes on both sides with the irises and pupils composed of concentric black and red rings, the thin brows arching above; stylized lotus blossoms below the handles, the reserved tondo with a dotted ring
8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm.) diameter excluding handles

Provenance

with Lempertz, Cologne, 3-8 June 1959, lot 844.

Lot Essay

Regarding the courtship scene, according to Beaumont (p. 63-65 in "The Changing Face of Childhood" in Neils and Oakley, Coming of Age in Ancient Greece), "in the context of ancient Athens the age difference between the two lovers was of paramount importance, for their homoerotic relationship was considered to provide not only pleasure for the adult male but also both a sexual initiation for the boy and, through the adult male lover, a role model for the aristocratic ideals and conduct to which the growing youth should aspire."

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