Eye-cup
Eye cup is a name for a particular shell type of ancient Greek pottery with painted pair of eyes on the outer wall.
Eye cups were a particularly in Athens and Chalkis in the second half of the 6th century BC, widespread type of drinking cup ( kylix ).
The pelvis of the eye cup resting on a short stubby feet, both view pages are dominated by large pairs of eyes under brows. The eyeballs are carried out in contour drawing, later often filled with white or painted with white on black. Some eyes are "female", that is, almond shaped with no tear ducts. Often located in the middle between the eyes a stylized nose; by the inclination of the cup while drinking, she participated as the ears acting handles and the bottom of the foot as a mouth on the opposite of the Zechers like a mask. Dionysian themes were painted usually between the large eyes.
An apotropaic, that is evil defensive importance of the eyes is suspected. Eyes were shells of different painters in predominantly in black-figure, later also produced in red-figure technique. Among the early bilinguals vases are eye cups, which are painted on the inside and outside blackfigure redfigure.
Dated 530 eye cup in Munich is regarded as a masterpiece - As a painter, who introduced this type together with its special livery in Attic vase art, Exekias whose 540 applies. On her Dionysos is shown, which is like a boozer on a ship. That him performing as a divine figure is an attribute on the ship's mast along growing vine, the symbol of God.
Other well-known examples of eye cups come from the following vase painters or groups:
- Amasis; he painted some eye cups a version with continuous profile ( type B)
- Andokides
- Antiphon Painter
- Epiktetos with bilinguals eye cups
- Ghost - painter
- Painter of Nicosia Olpe
- Hischylos
- Krokotos Group
- Leafless Group; she continued the pattern of eye cups with the late variants that usually waived on the presentation of big eyes.
- Lydos Group
- Lysippides Painter
- Mastos Painter
- Nikosthenes
- Oltos with bilinguals eye cups
- Pheidippos with bilinguals eye cups
- Skythes with bilinguals eye cups
- Group of Walters 48.42 specializing in frontal views of Masks of Dionysus, satyrs or maenads from between the eyes and on Gorgoneien inside
A special form is the Chalkidisierende shell, further modifications of the FP- class group of love advertising shells, the class of skyphoi A1, the class of skyphoi A2, the top band Stemlesses ( sessile shells with a black band at the top and eyes in the handle zone ) and probably also the segment class with black outer sides, for indoor images over the entire inner surface.
The dating is often difficult, however, are eye cups mainly from the period 540-500, possibly to 480 BC known.
Eye cups were exported in large numbers to Italy. Most eye shells were found in Etruscan grave chambers as grave goods.