The Codrus Painter: Iconography and Reception of Athenian Vases in the Age of Pericles

Ch.5: The Codrus Painter and His Contemporaries

28 The Codrus Painter and His Contemporaries 5 A juxtaposition of the Codrus Painter with his contemporaries reveals the intricate network of influences among vase-painters and helps to place our painter and his Circle in the larger context of the Athenian kerameikos during the second half of the fifth century BCE.1 In particular, we will consider the work of three vase-painters— the Eretria Painter, Aison, and the Meidias Painter—in an attempt to elucidate their style and repertory vis-à-vis the Codrus Painter’s. We will also discuss the findspots of their vases, which will shed some light on contemporary trading patterns. Etruria was by far the most popular export market for our painter, and it is interesting to note that in at least three tombs in Italy, cups by the Codrus Painter, the Eretria Painter, and Aison were found together (see also section 1.2).2 This observation demonstrates the interaction of the three vase-painters, who seem to have worked closely with each other and may even have shared the same dealer. 5.1 the codrus painter and the eretria painter One of the most talented vase-painters from around 440 to 420 BCE was the Eretria Painter. Comfortable with both red-figure and white-ground techniques, the Eretria Painter decorated a wide selection of shapes, unlike the Codrus Painter, who limited his production to red-figure drinking cups. Lezzi-Hafter observes common features in the work of the two painters, such as the fact that both tended to produce cups of smaller diameter during the second stages of their career, encouraged the reintroduction of the type C cup, and preferred to decorate their cups with unifying exterior themes. She has shown further that the Codrus Painter’s cups evolved from the tradition of Hieron and discusses their shapes and floral decoration in connection with the Eretria Painter.3 One significant difference between these contemporaries involves the findspots of their vases. Whereas the majority of the Codrus Painter’s vases were discovered in Etruria , the cups by the Eretria Painter, as well as other shapes decorated by his hand, were found mainly in Athens and Attica, Rhodes, and Cyprus. Interestingly, minor painters associated with the workshop of the Eretria Painter appear to have had more extensive commercial relations with Etruria and Italy than the leading artist of their group did.4 The repertory of the Codrus Painter includes a large number of athletes and youths, departures of warriors, episodes from the Dionysiac cycle, and scenes inspired either by rare Athenian myths and heroes or by frequently used myths rendered in a unique way.5 Almost no preserved vase attributed to his hand or Manner depicts any female scenes, let alone wedding themes. In contrast, the Eretria Painter is particularly known for his keen interest in the world of women.6 Given that the two painters specialized in different iconographic subjects and privileged diverse markets, any comparison between them seems uneven. Regarding the choice of mythological episodes to represent , Lezzi-Hafter suggests that the older Eretria Painter adopted certain subjects as a reaction to the new and perhaps more successful compositions of the Codrus Painter.7 In particular, his adoption of large gestures and experimentation with inscriptions seem to have been influenced by the Codrus Painter. Both painters present similar scenes of Dionysiac character and depictions of youths and athletes, but again the Codrus Painter appears to have been much more interested in depicting the male athletic body than his colleague was.8 It is interesting to note that the Eretria Painter is more likely to use kalos inscriptions than the Codrus Painter, while both painters produced cups influenced by contemporary The Codrus Painter and His Contemporaries 29 similar repertories. Until the formation of Beazley’s catalogues , cups shifted from one painter to another, with the most controversial arguments revolving around the cycle cups depicting Theseus and their chronology. The Theseus cup by the Codrus Painter (cat. 16, pl. 5), along with the smaller cup in Harrow, was often attributed to Aison because of similarities to the latter’s signed cup in Madrid.20 Aison was principally a cup-painter, but he also decorated other small vases, including oinochoai, lekythoi, and pelikai. Even though the scholarly community agrees today upon most attributions, there is still a debate about the relationship of the Codrus Painter to Aison and the Meidias Painter. This argument is part of a larger methodological question that casts doubt...