Standardization vs. Individualization in the Pylian Painted Argonaut

In 2015, Hariclia Brecoulaki and I published an article examining the emblematic use of the argonaut motif in wall paintings from the so-called Palace of Nestor at Pylos. This study serves as a brief follow-up to that investigation, and offers some preliminary thoughts on the opposing forces of standardization and individualization manifest in the motif’s depictions. Through close investigation of the marine creature’s anatomy as rendered across different band friezes at the palace, it is demonstrated that while the design of certain body parts was “fixed,” that of others was “flexible,” resulting in repetitive compositions that were, in fact, subtly nuanced. Based on this evidence, some preliminary practical and intellectual explanations for this perceived “artistic freedom” enjoyed by the Pylian painters are presented, as are thoughts about composition in Mycenaean art at large.