ART 198 - HISTORY OF WORLD CERAMICS

Heavily influenced by the preceding Minoan culture of Crete, the city of Mycenae became the dominant power on the Greek peninsula from 1400 - 1100 BCE. Although their architecture and ceramics resemble their Minoan forebears, the Mycenaeans spoke Greek. Trade flourished between the Mycenaean mainland and the islands of the Mediterranean such as Crete and Rhodes, as well as Egypt and the Middle East. This particular vase, found on the island of Rhodes, clearly shows the Minoan influence of painting lively sea creatures, such as the octopus, on the surfaces of their well-thrown forms. Unlike Minoan pottery, in which the designs more often flow freely around the form of the vessel, the Mycenaean potters more often painted designs within defined circular bands of slip. Pots were thrown in sections, assembled, covered with a fine slip, and burnished before being painted. The Mycenaeans were the conquerors of the city of Troy during the Trojan war, celebrated in Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.

Double handled octopus vase, Mycenaean 1400-1300 BCE