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17 Reconsidering Some Attributions 3 I n this chapter I revisit four attributions to the Codrus Painter and propose different degrees of proximity to his style for these vases. In addition, a cup once in the Basel Market (cat. 107) that has been considered a work by the Codrus Painter is here disassociated from him. 3.1 the oxford chous The Oxford chous (cat. 66) was ascribed by Lezzi-Hafter to the corpus of the Codrus Painter,1 a suggestion of great importance because it is the first vase outside the category of drinking cups that has been associated with him. The chous shows a satyr named Kissos approaching a maenad in rhythmical steps. The latter, inscribed Tragoedia, is slumped on her mantle, naked and fast asleep, exhausted from the wine and dancing (fig. 3.1). The maenad appears to share certain traits of the Codrus Painter’s style, but a close inspection of the satyr’s drawing raises questions about the attribution to the painter ’s own hand. In particular, the satyr’s body-type cannot be compared to any of the satyrs by the Codrus Painter: the different rendering of anatomical details, along with the dissimilar profiles, speaks against an attribution to his hand. Compare the details from the Herakles cup (cat. 22, pl. 22) and the Cambridge cup (54, pl. 23) with the satyr from the chous (fig. 3.2). Compared with the Codrus Painter’s satyrs, the Oxford satyr has a flat chest, no abdominal delineation, a smaller waist, and different treatment of penis and kneecaps, as well as a different placement and execution of the tail. Even more striking is a comparison of the satyrs’ heads. The Oxford satyr has a small, round head, a long, unkempt beard that matches the longish, wild, straight locks of his hair, and a hairline that recedes all the way to his ears; all these traits are foreign to the Codrus Painter’s satyrs, with their short, wavy hair and nicely trimmed beards. The rendering of the ears is also telling, as the Oxford satyr has relatively large ears that point backward, while the Codrus Painter’s have smaller ones pointing forward. Even though the chous cannot be ascribed to the Codrus Painter himself, there is enough evidence to support an association with his style. The Oxford satyr’s pose, identifiable perhaps as the sikinnis dance, is very similar to that of the satyrs on the Herakles and Cambridge cups, who walk or dance with one knee up. Similarly, the gesture of aposkopeuein (looking afar) brings the Oxford satyr very close to the satyrs of the Cambridge cup (pl. 23b), while the maenad is reminiscent of the Codrus Painter’s athletes and even of Herakles from the homonymous cup (pl. 22b–c).2 The painter of the Oxford chous used more or less the same conventions for drawing the maenad that the Codrus Painter used for numerous youths and athletes: e.g., the partition of the abdominals, the heavy chin, and her locks of long, fine hair. Only the awkwardly placed breasts and the pubic hair indicate that this is a female figure. For these reasons I suggest that the Oxford chous should be attributed to the Manner of the Codrus Painter and not to his own hand. Last, the iconography of the chous merits a comment. The very subject of the vase, a satyr with sexual intentions trying to surprise a sleeping maenad, combined with his performance of the sikinnis dance, led Lezzi-Hafter to suggest a reading of the scene as a parody of the hieros gamos of Dionysos and Basilinna.3 By naming the maenad Tragoedia and representing her as unconscious, vulnerable, and naked in close proximity to a satyr, the painter creates an episode based on a popular image from the Dionysiac cycle but enriched with theatrical and religious connotations , as the teasing, playful atmosphere is very similar to that of satyr plays. 18 Reconsidering Some Attributions against an attribution of the cup to the Codrus Painter himself (fig. 3.3). The facial features recall characteristics of the Codrus Painter’s youths, but certain traits are alien to his style (see details, figs. 2.1, 2.3): for example, the lower eyelid is accentuated by a darker relief line, while the lower lip has a distinct protrusion. The musculature is outlined by a generous amount of diluted glaze, as in other figures attributed to the Codrus Painter, but details such as the contour...

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