L. P.

Troiano

The polyvalent
dog
Attic pottery of the Archaic and Classical period
Instructor: Eurydice Kefalidou
 Introduction

A few questions:

-What does the dog symbolize in any given

context represented?

-Are they true and realistic representations or;

-Is the dog a symbolic-charged visual element?

Fig 1. Attic Red-figure Cup B, c. 500 BCE. Youth with strigil, dog and aryballos suspended.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 Tricks, music and treats Any symbolism?

What breed of dog?

What is the child doing?

Fig 2. Red-figure skyphos with a boy and a dog, c. 420 BCE.

Drawing Author, after photograph taken in the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens, Greece. (2022)

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 No great symbolism.
No inscriptions
Human-dog relationship was strong and, in fact,
dogs were inserted in all stages of human life, from
the earliest of ages.

Fig 2. Red-figure skyphos with a boy and a dog, c. 420 BCE.

Drawing Author, after photograph taken in the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens, Greece. (2022)

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 Fig 3. White-ground Lekythos. Female figure holding a lyre, with a dog in front Fig 4. Attic red-figure kylix, c. 480 BCE. A dog bites the thigh of a
of her. From Pikrodaphni (Phalero). By the Bowdoin Painter. C. 480-470 BCE. © young man while defecating. Attributed to the Triptolemos Painter.
Photo and source: Leonardo Troiano (2022).

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 True-to-life representations.
Lyric poetry was accompanied by music.
There were spectators, and special events. -> Where there
are crowds, there is food, and dogs accompany their
owners. Stray dogs approach.
These images are, in the end, quite natural.

Attic red-figure fragment of cup, c. 500 BCE. Draped

man with lyre and dog.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 Dogs and the departing warrior.
-Departing warrior scene: somewhat standardized.
-Many elements are displayed consistently across the
majority of depictions belonging to this category.
-Warrior usually equipped in hoplite “wear”, that is,
with a helmet, a spear and a shield.
-Sometimes, not hoplites, but epheboi, around eighteen
years old, in military training.
-Beardless, which strengthens the notion that these are
young men. and dressed with chitons, while hoplites
usually are nude and only bear battle gear. Fig 5. Attic red-figure Amphora. Warrior departing, dog,
woman with oinochoe pouring libation. C. 450 BCE.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 -Vases depicting this type of scenes are fundamental
manifestations of Athenian civic life.
-Departure scenes are as important as the scene they
represent. Reminders of this event and of what it
represents as Athenian values and morals.
-They are to be used and seen, their painting plays their
role as crystallizers, visual reminders of these same
values and ceremony.

Fig 6. Attic red-figure stamnos. Warrior departing, woman

with oinochoe pouring libation. C. 450 BCE.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 -Entangled lives of Athenian citizens and their canine
companions
-Ancient Greeks appreciated many qualities and virtues
typically understood as canine, such as intelligence,
bravery, honor, loyalty.
- Also, the dog brings credibility and realism to the
scene. Thus, performing multiple functions as a visual
element.

Fig 6. Attic red-figure stamnos. Warrior departing, woman

with oinochoe pouring libation. C. 450 BCE.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano


Dogs and the hunter.
Fig 7, 8. Attic red-figure lekythos. Hunter Kephalos and his dog. C.
470 BCE. Attributed to the Pan Painter.; Attic oinochoe form 3
red-figure, Artemis (?) and dog. C. 450 BCE.
The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano
-Dogs seem to function as symbolic visual elements
here:
-Not there merely for filling up empty space on the
surface of the vase, and not only to add to the
naturalism of the scene.
-For an audience familiar with the great Greek
mythological narratives, the presence of dogs is
central for the represented narrative to be identified.
(Without hounds, how would it be possible to identify
the hunter goddess or the hero?)
-The Hound as an indicator of the activity being
carried out, but they are also a key piece,
indispensable for the success of the painting.
 Dog: The Erastês’ best friend

Fig 9. Attic Black-Figure. C. 575-550 BCE. Erotic scene, a man and a Fig 10. Attic Red-Figure Pelike. Bearded male presents a hare to a young man,

youth with wreaths and dog. holding it out by the ears, dog watching. C. 470 BC, attributed to the
Triptolemos Painter. Image from Getty Open Content.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 Fig 11. Pederastic courting scene in which a dog mimics the actions
Fig 12. Attic red-figure pelike. C. 500 BCE. A man copulating intercrurally with a
youth. The hare is a courting-gift. The youth has a dog on a leash, sitting next to the and intentions of the erastês. Attic black-figure amphora, c. 540 B.C.

scene. Drawing author after photography from the Beazley Archive.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

 -The dog as a naturalistic representation

-”Immersion”

-The dog contributes to the credibility of the scene, carrying notions such as virtue, hierarchy,
solemnity, attention, etc.

-The dog as Zeus’ Thunderbolt or Poseidon’s Trident. An indispensable iconographic representation, a

“visual aid” that characterizes a character and facilitates the audience's apprehension of the narrative.
-A metaphorical element that situates the older male character as the erastes.
- A comic-pun element.

The Polyvalent Dog- Presentation by L. P. Troiano

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