The ''Regina Vasorum'' or ''Queen of Vases'' is a 4th-century BC
hydria from
Cumae depicting
Eleusinian
Elefsina ( el, Ελευσίνα ''Elefsina''), or Eleusis (; Ancient Greek: ''Eleusis'') is a suburban city and municipality in the West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is situated about northwest from the centre of Athens and is part of i ...
divinities with
gilded
Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...
flesh in
polychrome
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors.
Ancient Egypt
Colossal statu ...
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
. It is held in the collections of the
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...
,
St. Petersburg. In addition to its aesthetic qualities, it is valued as an
iconographical
Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...
source for
ancient Greek religion
Religious practices in ancient Greece encompassed a collection of beliefs, rituals, and mythology, in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. The application of the modern concept of "religion" to ancient cultures has been ...
.
The ''Regina Vasorum'' is a "spectacular" and unusually large example of technical experimentation among
Greek potters after the
red-figure style had run its course.
[Harvey Alan Shapiro, Carlos A. Picón, Gerry D. Scott, "Introduction to South Italian Vases," in ''Greek Vases'' (San Antonio Museum of Art, 1995), p. 25]
online.
/ref> The figures were made separately, painted, and gilded, then attached to the vase with slip
Slip or SLIP may refer to:
Science and technology Biology
* Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole
* Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting
* Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy
Computing and ...
,[ possibly by ]sprigging
Sprigging is the planting of sprigs, plant sections cut from rhizomes or stolons that includes crowns and roots, at spaced intervals in furrows or holes. Depending on the environment, this may be done by hand or with mechanical row planters. Spri ...
.
See also
* South Italian ancient Greek pottery
South Italian is a designation for ancient Greek pottery fabricated in Magna Graecia largely during the 4th century BC. The fact that Greek Southern Italy produced its own red-figure pottery
Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important ...
Sources
* Elena Ananitch, ''Lucanian Vases'' («L'Erma» di Bretschneider, 2005), p.
online.
* Kevin Clinton, ''Greek Sanctuaries,'' p. 9
online.
* Beth Cohen, ''The Colors of Clay: Special Techniques in Athenian Vases'' (J. Paul Getty Museum, 2006), p. 115.
* Erika Simon, ''Festivals of Attica: An Archaeological Commentary'' (University of Wisconsin Press, 1983), ''passim''.
External links
* Color photo of the ''Regina Vasorum'' at the website of th
Hermitage Museum
References
Ancient Greek pottery
Individual ancient Greek vases
Eleusinian Mysteries
Archaeological collections of the Hermitage Museum
4th-century BC artefacts
{{AncientGreece-stub