#African vases

[killyridols]

birdbath by mia chaplin, 2022, oil on plaster of paris bandages, papier-mâché & wire, 91.5 × 45 × 40 centimeters

[pinkstarlightcomputer]

Kelly Higgs Lovebirds 2019

[panafrocore]

A Hippopotamus Vase From The Badarian Culture: Early Predynastic Era in Ancient Egypt

The Hippopotamus Vase from the Badarian culture is a mesmerizing artifact that offers a captivating glimpse into the artistry and lifestyle of ancient Upper Egypt. Crafted in the early Predynastic era around the 5th millennium BC, this extraordinary vessel is a testament to the remarkable skills and aesthetic sophistication of its creators. Carved from precious elephant ivory, the vase depicts…

[miles333fan]

Carved and Tattooed Ceramic Memorial Urn "Adamma"

[euqinim0dart]

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Artist wise CanisAlbus, Albrecht Durer, Al Hirshfeld, Eivand Earle, Benjamin Styer, Don Bluth, Aubrey Beardsley, Frida Kahlo, Thomas Blackshear, Maxfield Parrish, A.M. Cassandre, Gosia Herba, Hieronymus bosch, Mary Blair, Hung Liu, J.C. Leyendecker, and Kustav Klimt.

Culturally The Tinga Tinga African painting style, Alebrejes, African textiles, Islamic tiles, Greek vases, Chrtistian Iconagraphy, keyhole arches, Anime, and cartoons (1930’s-2000’s).

[symeona]

It's common knowledge by now that West Asian and African ppl made up a sizable chunk of the population of ancient Hellas. This can be found in the texts of Herodotus, Homer, Heraclitus and in few surviving pieces of art; like the Minoan frescoes, bronze statues and vase paintings. And the one surviving bust of Memnon.

It's also common knowledge by now that churches tried to erase all traces of a "mixed" population by destroying most of the statues that depicted these ppl. Especially black Greek ppl. In a similar way Northwestern Europeans took our statues and bleached them. Why I am certain of that? Let's take Delos as an example. Delos was a religious centre, but it wasn't exclusively pandering to those who believed in the Pantheon.

In fact, what we see there is that both Eastern and Southern cultures celebrated similar or parallel forms of gods. Delos was specifically known for the worship of moon and sun gods. Those who worshipped Artemis could do so next to someone who worshipped Isis and someone who worshipped Tanit. Please feel free to Google this, I grew up there.

"Stop perpetuating the myth that we were black" gurl who hurt you. The existence of people with darker skin than yours doesn't erase you. Please calm down. We're not here to hurt you.

With sources cause 凸(¬‿¬)

[snakegorl212006]

Move in

“I assure you this house would be the best house you’ll stay at” mr.Crowly said as we entered the mansion  “I see thank you for lending me this place” I replied and he smiled “why it’s not a problem. Sense I’m so generous, I already hired some moving company to handle your things” He said “oh I can’t thank you enough” I smiled “Of Course. As much as I would stay for your delicious tea, I have other business to conduct. You’ll have fun and your stuff will arrive shortly.” crowly said as he handed me the keys to the place and left. I decided to explore. This place is massive. Almost like each wing has a different time period and vibe. 

Wing 1 Heartslabyul

Victorian era

Across from the main house,where I’m staying, is the first wing. Crowly called it Heartslabyul and I can see why. Red was the main theme like the hearts I assume it represents. There were meny references to playing card and roses. There was a vase of fresh roses which had red paint stains. A gambling room which was cool. the kitchen which had some clover patterns on the floor tiles. There was some sort of photography room where things were covered by sheets. Underneath the white sheets were a bunch of couches and one blank canvas. I took the dusty sheets the the laundry room to do later. I continued to explore up the stairs to see a portrait of a young male with red hair looking like madam red’s kid if they survived. Not to say he’s not handsome but he just looked…stiff. I shrugged it off and continued my exploration of the second floor. They’re were tons of guest rooms,like give it 6 or 7, and a master bedroom which was the only room which had a smell of roses. Nothing much happened other than that. 

Wing 2 Savanaclaw 

90’s

Now this place looks wild. Definitely a more familiar rich and famous 90’s look. Velvet couches with tiger stripes. There were some African- like vases and some expensive looking furniture. Yet it looks comfortable. Crowly said out of all the wings this Savanaclaw has the biggest garden. I might check that out some other time. There weren't many guest rooms upstairs, only 2 guest rooms. But there was a gym and a main master bedroom. The kitchen was pretty big but not as huge as Heartslabyul. Maybe most of the budget is used for outdoor recreational purposes.or remodel for convenience. There wasn't much here so I left.

Wing 3 Octavinelle

Roaring 20’s

This place has a large swimming pool and a terrarium garden. Though crowley did mentioned this i haven’t seen any swimming pools outside only the dome garden in the backyard. I can look later. I enter inside only to be amazed by the amount of aquariums and the minimum lighting which creates a almost enchanting atmosphere. Downstairs was a meeting room which looks more like a second living room. There was also a ketchen which was more well lit and has seashell handles for the cabinets which is adorable. Upstairs there was an office, 3 master, and 3 guest rooms. What got my attention was a locked room downstairs. Crowly said all the rooms of the wings are unlocked for me to explore as much as I wish. Perhaps there’s a skeleton key somewhere. I’ll look later. 

Wing 4 Scarabia

90’s+1920’s Mix

What in the middle east. I know he said this was the most expensive wing but i didn’t think everything inside was practically made from gold. Not to say everything was but it’s just expensive looking almost like i shouldn't step in here. But i can’t deny this is the most inviting. There were velvet  couches in some rooms and  floor pillows in lounge rooms. accessories were more middle eastern and had some sort of high end jewelry. The ketches was more casual then others. More mellow and chill. There is an upstairs which had a music room and a treasury which was just left wide open…. Weird.. I looked inside just to be blinded by mountains and mountains of gold gems and a one random carpet. This could pay my rent for years. I closed the treasury and locked it tight so no one could steal it. Which reminds me to install cameras.

Wing 5 Pomefiore

Roaring 20’s

This is the only place which I knew part of the history too. Which also surprised me on how cheap the whole property was. This houses famous actor Vil Schoenheit who passed away from unknown means which includes his assistant Rook hunt and his protege Epel Felmier. Owning the property of who was once the most beautiful person in the world would be a dream come true for most of his fans. The wing was surely beautiful with royal purples. What stood out to me was the golden peacock throne in the middle of the lounge. There was a ballroom as well as a garden. Welp upstairs I go. This place has 3 masters and 2 guest as. One of the masters had a large vanity which had lines of skin care and make-up with a crown carefully placed in the middle.Ya this is definitely his.

Wing 6 Ignihyde

Steampunk

Dark and gloomy with technology everywhere, almost. Yet this place seems secure almost. The dim lighting make the place hard to see but i can tell there’s a tone of blue tents. There were skulls with gears on the walls. Kitchen was just as dark and apparently there was some laboratory in the attic. Which probably explains why there was a large dome on top of the wing. There was only 2 masters and no guest rooms. There was nothing in the first bedroom but in the second was there was a old realistic looking robot. On some broken charging station. Nope nope. I watched too many haunted doll movies. Last wing i go.

Wing 7 Diasomnia.

Medieval

Crowly said this was the oldest and largest wing on the property and he doesn't disappoint. This is like a mini castle which is not even lit by electricity like the others. Even the Heartslbyul was more well lit then this. I turned on my phone flashlight and began to look for matches. The lounge was huge which also had a throne which looked ominous to say the least. I began making my way to the kitchen to look for a match. I looked though the old black wooden covers to find old knifes and dishes yet no match. Then i heard rustling. I looked up to see bats. The whole ceiling is covered in black bats. Are those fruit bats. Ya i gotta get those removed. It’s unsafe for them to be here. I walked out and continued my search for matches. There were three floors to look at vs the usual 2 floors so i have a lot of ground to cover. Across from the kitchen though the lounge was a dining room the largest one i’ve seen. The creepy part was the fact there was a singular lit candle. You know what i give up on that match i have 2 more floors to explore so I gotta go. The second floor had a bunch of different quotrers, assuming for servants and guards. I’m assuming these are the guest rooms now days. On the top floor there was a library a large one 3 more guest rooms and one master room. The master room was pretty spacious yet this feels off. I ignored it. Besides, I’m not staying here. So i left. 

Main house Ramshackle 

present

When I arrived at the main house it was already like 9pm so I must have missed Crowley and the moving crew. I wonder what I need to re-arrange. The main house had 2 floors max with 7 guest rooms and 1 master which is my room. I did a survey and made sure everything is how I wanted. Dining room, office,ballroom, kitchen which is filled with groceries, lounge, and my room. Everything is in order so i should be fine. So i should get something to eat.

I managed to cook some (Favorite food) since I was craving it. There was no point in eating in the dining room so I ate in my room and watched TV, using my PS4 to watch YouTube. Mid video I heard a knocking sound. I paused my vid and headed downstairs with my empty plate. Silence. Then another set of knocking. I put my plate away and peaked through the eye hole. There’s no one there. Confused, I just left to go to bed. I wonder who was behind the door. 

[kimolisai]

Using Bing Create with the prompt: watercolor and pastel, whimsical african american couple snuggled together on a couch under a blue polk-a-dot blanket with purple flowers in a vase on a side table, painterly, artistic, fantasy, sketch, alcohol ink, watercolor background

[strawberry-soot]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🦁LEONA BIRTHDAY SSR FLOWER ANALYSIS* 🦁*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

*Mandatory reminder that I’m no flower specialist, which means these are all very subjective opinions. Take everything with a grain of salt!

Before I can talk about Leona’s flowers I quickly want to give a bit of a deeper look into the colors of his bouquet and how they affect its meaning – with the reading of yellow flowers ranging from friendship, joy, and hope in Europe and America to honoring the dead in Mexico and Egypt to sacredness in China to representing royalty in and around India. Generally speaking, in Asia the meaning of wealth, royalty, hope and disappointment, abundance, and jealousy, are most likely what the cards’ artist was going for so keep that in mind while reading this!

In the Victorian Language of Flowers yellow roses were symbols of jealousy and greed – which is also true for their Japanese and Korean meaning, though in traditional Mexican culture they more commonly symbolize remembrance. By gifting someone yellow roses one would show a decrease in love, or subtly tell the recipient to “try to care more”, though nowadays they stand for friendship, happiness, joy, innocence, and appreciation, and are typically sent during birthdays, promotions and graduations. However, they could also be an apology for previous wrongdoings.

The more orange flower I believe to be a gaillardia or blanket flowers, which on one hand are associated with charm, abundance, aristocracy, and modesty, or on the other hand, with joy, optimism, and happiness. Because of their ability to thrive in all conditions, they stand for resilience and strength, courage, fearlessness, and even were a symbol of bravery and hope in the Victorian Language of Flowers.

While hibiscus flowers are associated with positivity and joy thanks to their vibrant colors, they’re also symbols of wealth, generosity, hospitality, and the upper class. They’re reminders to live in the moment and to seize opportunities as they come. In Chinese culture they’re gifted to represent how short lived the beauty of glory or fame is since they have a relatively short vase life.

Gerbera Daisies, or African Daisies, typically represent either beauty, or a happy life. They symbolize friendship and happiness, but mostly are gifted to someone recovering from an illness, or to cheer someone up. In Japan they stand for ultimate beauty, hope, and a way forward (often with a romantic connotation). Notably, in ancient Egypt they stood for a closeness to nature and devotion to the sun.

Zinnias are associated with endurance, remembrance, and thoughts of absent friends/friends you haven’t seen in a while. They bloom even in draughts or when plagued by bugs so they’re the perfect gift for someone with a strong mind.

Since crocuses are early blooming flowers they symbolize new beginnings and rebirth, though they’re also linked to wealth, power, and divinity. In Asia and the Middle East they stand for hope and a prosperous future.

The yellow flower with the thin leaves is a pincushion flower or protea which represents transformation, diversity, and courage. In the Victorian Language of Flowers they stand for unfortunate love, and in hanakotoba (the Japanese Language of Flowers) they mean “I have lost all.”

Finally, the dark purple/red flower in his bouquet is a cymbidium orchid. It stands for morality and virtue, as well as beauty, strength and opulence. Being gifted such a flower is an honor since they’re difficult to grow and care for. They hold a reputation of being luxurious, and are a symbol of power, respect, and admiration – in the Victorian Language of Flowers one of supreme luxury and wealth. They also convey a feeling of strength, absolute power, or authority.

Naturally, these are only my un-educated guesses considering I’m by no means a flower specialist so take everything with a grain of salt, and feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong/what flowers I might’ve missed.

[originallandlockedmariner]

2023

Pickleball. Generative AI. Lula takes office in Brazil, Amazon Rainforest throws a party. Prince Harry refusing to stop talking about his frozen penis no matter how many times society begged him to stop. UFOs are real. Viral cat dubbed ‘largest cat anyone has ever seen’ gets adopted. Pee-Wee’s big adventure ends. Musk & X. Turkey-Syria earthquake kills thousands. India surpasses China as ‘country squeezing in the most peeps’. Tucker Carlson ousted. Miss USA and her 30 lbs moon costume. Wildfires in Kelowna and Hawaii. Macron tinkers with retirement age of the French. Paltrow can’t ski. Big Red Boots. Bob Barker leaves us. Alabama mom delivers 2 babies from her 2 uteruses in 2 days. Charles III. Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces as the war drags on. Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year. African ‘coup belt’. Flo-Jo dies in her sleep. Chinese spy balloon shot down. Hollywood writers strike. Human ‘nice mugshot’ Shitstain and his 91 indictments. Highest interest rates in 2 decades. The Bear’s Christmas episode. War in Gaza. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Alex Murdaugh. Ocean Cleanup removes 25 000 lbs of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Vase purchased for $3.99 sells for $100 000 at auction. Barbenheimer. A third of Pakistan is flooded. Lionel Messi is the GOAT. Travis Kelce. The Sphere opens in Las Vegas. Regulators seized Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, resulting in two of the three largest bank failures in U.S. history. “The Woman In Me”. WHO declares COVID ain’t a thing no more. Titan sub sinks, rich people die. Matthew Perry drowns. Dumbledore Dies (again). Massive sales of ‘Fuck Trudeau’ flags for jacked-up micro-dick trucks. Everything Everywhere All At Once. June-August was the hottest three-month period in recorded history across the Earth. Tina Turner dies. And the Beatles release a new song?! Wow… You got big shoes to fill 2024.

Archives for context:

2020

Kobe. Pandemic. Lockdown. Koalas on fire. Harry and Meg retire. Toilet paper hoarding. Alcoholism. Impeach the f*cker. Parasite. Bonnie Henry. Tiger King. Working from home. Sourdough bread. Harvey Weinstein guilty. Zoom overdose. Dip your body in sanitizer. 6 feet. Quarantine. OK Boomer. Home schooling (everyone passes). Murder hornets. Dolly Parton. Don’t hug, kiss or see anybody, especially your family. Chris Evans’ junk. TikTok. Glory holes. Face masks. CERB. West Coast wildfires. Stay home. Small Businesses lose, big box stores win. F*ck Bozos. ‘Dreams’ and cranberry juice. Close yoga studios, but thumbs up to your local gym. Speak moistly to me. George Floyd. BLM. F*ck Trump. Phase 2, 3 and Summer. RBG. Baby Yoda. Biden wins. Bond and Black Panther die. No more lockdown. Back to school and work. Just kidding... giddy up round 2. Giuliani leaks shit from his head. Resurgence of chess. UFOs are real. Restrictions. Dave Grohl admits defeat. Monolith. “F*ck... forgot my mask in the car”. No Christmas shenanigans allowed. Bubbles. Alex Trebek. Use the term ‘dumpster fire’ one too many times. Jupiter and Saturn form 'Christmas Star'. Happy New Year Bitches!!!! 2021... you better not sh*t the bed!!

2021

“We love you, you’re very special”. Failed coup attempt at the Capital. Twitter, FB and IG ban Donny. Hammerin’ Hank goes to the Field of Dreams. Bozo no longer richest man but still a twat. Leachman, Tyson, and Holbrook pass. The economy is worse than expected. Kim and Kanye split. Brood X cicadas. Dre has an aneurysm and nearly has his home broken into. Bridgerton. MyPillow CEO is a douche. Covid restrictions extended indefinitely. Captain Von Trapp dies. Proud Boys officially a Terrorist Organization. Richard Ramirez. Cancer takes Screech. Travel bans. Impeachment trial (again?… oh and this was barely February? WTF??!!) Suez Canal blockage. Myanmar protest. Kong dukes it out with Godzilla, while Raya watches. Olympics. Friends compare elective surgeries. F9. Canada Women’s Soccer Gold. Free Britney. Multiverses. Residential Schools in Canada unearth children’s bodies. Kate is Mare of Easttown. Cuomo resigns. Disney and Dwayne cruise together. Wildfires. Delta variants. Musk passes Bezos. Candyman x 5. Capt. Kirk goes to space. F*ck Kyle Rittenhouse. Astros didn’t win. Squid Game. Goodbye Bond. Dune is redone. Angelina is Eternal. Astroworld deaths. Meta. Omicron. Three Spidermen. Tornados in December? World Juniors cancelled. Pills against Covid. School opening delayed. And Betty White dies. 2022… my expectations are ridiculously low…

2022

Wow… eight billion people. Queen Elizabeth II passes away after ruling the Commonwealth before dirt was invented. The monkeypox. Russia plays the role of global a**hole. Wordle. Mother Nature rocks Afghanistan. Hover bike. Styles spits on Pine. Olivia Newton John, Kristie Alley, and Coolio leave us. Pele was traded to team Heaven. FTX implodes. Madonna and the 3-D model of her vagina. Pig gives his heart to a human. Beijing can brag that it is the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. Uvalde. $3 trillion Apple. Keith Raniere gets 120 years. The Whisky War ends with Canada and Denmark going halfsies. Mar-a-Lago. Nick Cannon brood hits a dozen. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Inflation goes through the roof (if you can actually afford to put a roof over your head). Volodymyr Zelensky. European heat wave. Bennifer. Salman Rushdie is stabbed on stage, Dave Chappelle tackled, and Chris Rock is only slapped. Thích Nhất Hạnh. Heidi Klum goes full slug. Cuba knocked out by Ian. Liz Truss and 4.1 Scaramuccis. Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster. Human shitstain Elon Musk ignores helping mankind and buys Twitter instead. Riri becomes a mommy. NASA launches Artemis 1. Trump still a whiny little b*tch. Music lost Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and Meat Loaf. Democracy died at least three times. Pete Davidson continues to date hottest women on the planet (no one understands how?!) Microplastics in our blood. Alex Jones is a c*nt. So is DeSantis. Argentina wins the World Cup. Meghan and Harry. Eddie Munson rips Metallica in the Upside Down. tWitch. Roe vs Wade is overturned by the micro dick energy of the Supreme Court. CODA. James Corden shows he is a "tiny Cretin of a man". Amber (and the sh*t on the bed) Heard (round the world). Sebastian Bear-McClard proves he’s one of the f*cking dumbest men alive. Latin America's ‘pink tide’. Anti-Semitic rants by Ye. Bob Saget. A verified blue checkmark. Godmother of punk Vivienne dies. And, Tom Cruise feels the need for speed yet again. 2023… whatcha got for us?!? Nothing shocks me anymore.

@daily-esprit-descalier

[mybeingthere]

Scottish artist Craigie Aitchison CBE RA RSA (1926-2009) was well known for his paintings depicting landscapes, portraits, and crucifixion scenes in a distinctive Mediterranean palette.

Andrew Lambirth, who knew Craigie for 20 years wrote wrote so stories in the Atchinson's Catalogue Raisonné. Here are a few bits of his recollections:

"Although Scottish by birth, Aitchison moved to London in 1963, and thereafter divided his time between his terraced house in Lambeth and a second home in Italy, outside Siena. He painted still-life subjects, religious pictures, portraits and nudes, landscapes and his dogs. His preferred models tended to be West Indian or African because he loved the way other colours looked next to warm skin tones.

The first painting by Aitchison to enter a UK public collection was Model Standing Against a Blue Wall (1962), when it was bought by the Tate from the Beaux Arts Gallery in 1964.

Some of Aitchison's most popular paintings have been of objects he lived with: a tea caddy or a candlestick, a cup or a vase (mostly with flowers in it), a cellophane-wrapped Italian Easter egg or a handful of liquorice allsorts.

If Aitchison found a good model, he would paint him or her repeatedly, and his all-time favourite was Georgeous Macaulay.

There are several of his Crucifixions in public collections, but one of the most memorable is in Birmingham, dating from 1984–1986. A large canvas, as many of Aitchison's late Crucifixions are, it depicts Christ on the cross, but without any arms.

Aitchison was quite prepared to take liberties with human anatomy if it helped him to make the image more powerful, and his Christ figures sometimes have only one arm or one leg. (As he once replied to an interviewer who asked him why he did this: 'Not everyone is lucky enough to be born with two arms and two legs'.)

Craigie first painted a Crucifixion when he was a student at the Slade School of Fine Art, which is part of University College in London. One of the teachers said: 'It's a very serious subject and much too big a subject for you to tackle.' But that only spurred Craigie on to paint another one.

He never succumbed to adverse criticism, though he remembered it and was clearly wounded by it. Two visiting Slade tutors, Victor Pasmore and John Piper, both told him to give up painting. Thankfully he didn't. As he said, if it had been somebody he really respected, like L. S. Lowry, also a visiting teacher, he might have paid attention. But Lowry only encouraged him.

Considering the crowded nature of his home, he was surprisingly minimalistic in his art, as well as a great colourist. He thought his intensely poetic images were quite straightforward, but they are impossible to imitate convincingly. Although they look so effortless, he himself often had trouble with them.

In another interview with me in 2004, Aitchison discussed this: 'That seems to be all that it's about – deciding. Somebody said that painting is a complete and absolute way of having to make up one's mind. Whether to put two trees instead of one, or to leave it. It's exhausting trying to make up your mind. If it wasn't like that it would just be boring to do.'

Andrew Lambirth, writer and author of "Craigie Aitchison – Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné"

https://artuk.org/.../the-intensely-poetic-paintings-of...

[marygih]

Echoes of the past - a mphfpc fanfic

Among the rumors that spread around Devils Acre, one in particular became popular, they say that one day Alma Peregrine gathered several of her former pupils and took them to an unnamed loop, in the distant past.

She gave the blueprint of a labyrinth created by Perplexus Anomalous to Jacob Portman and asked him to build the labyrinth, it must be made of the same material as the Souls' vessels.

Before the work began, Jacob returned to abaton and with Bronwyn's help removed several remaining soul vessels from the rubble of the Library of souls. When he was sure there were no more vases to be saved, he took everyone to the loop that Miss Peregrine created and began work on the maze.

It took Jacob around 10 years to complete the work with the help of a few librarians he trusted. When finished, Alma's other pupils turned the loop into a true hell. African bee hives were spread throughout the dense forest that surrounds the labyrinth, the vegetation is made up of trees with thorns and roots that go deep into the ground, and dangerous poisonous herbs. Dozens of reanimated dead walk through the forest with sharp weapons with the only function to kill anyone who tries to get into the maze.

If someone very lucky manages to reach the maze alive, they will find a giant circular hole in the middle of the forest, below the maze there is a large pit of fire and lava, like a great hell on earth. High above the fire is the labyrinth, visible and tangible only to a librarian, any peculiar who arrives there will fall into the pit of fire. If a librarian manages to get to the maze, it will be almost impossible to get to the vases, the maze is full of traps, dead ends and loose floors making anyone fall into the hell below.

When the loop was considered impenetrable, Alma asked Noor and Julius to devour all the light in the entire loop, leaving the place eternally in dense darkness whose light cannot penetrate. Then she removed everyone from inside the loop and with the help of 11 powerful ymbrynes she sealed the loop. After this entire process, she erased the memory of everyone who knew the paths of the labyrinth and destroyed its blueprint.

She created her new Abaton, as horrible as the nightmares her evil brother forced her to live. She did all of this to stop monsters like her brother from trying to take those poor souls for themselves again. Little did she know that such an effort would be at risk, as a new evil was about to emerge.

{ Echoes of the past, coming soon to AO3}

@nyxie-is-peculiar The first chapter of this story is almost here

[panafrocore]

Vase with Rope from Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, c. 9th–11th century C.E.

The bronzes from Igbo-Ukwu have garnered much attention from scholars due to their intricate designs and symbolism as well as the technical virtuosity required to create them. Many of the bronze objects uncovered at Igbo-Ukwu are skeuomorphic, including the Vase with Rope. In this object, the artist skillfully imitated the appearance of a slender ceramic vase, decorated with relief designs and…

[reasoningdaily]

The skyphos is a large ceramic cup used by the ancient Greeks for the consumption of large quantities of wine. At informal male gatherings known as symposia, heady philosophical discussions usually progressed to drunken riotousness as the contents of the skyphoi were replenished.

Skyphoi were often decorated with exquisitely painted scenes with clear references to Dionysos, the god of wine and revelry. In cases like the one seen here, however, the decoration evokes a far different relationship with the divine.

The scene on this skyphos represents a parodied depiction of the Judgment of Paris, a well-known incident from The Iliad, Homer’s epic story of the invasion of Troy by the Greeks. The evocation of a world of mysterious, irrational forces on the vase reveals a side of the Greek temperament at odds with the magisterial order imposed on human society by the Olympian gods.

The image of black people plays a key role in the reconciliation between the everyday world of the Greeks and the more intimate experience of spiritual revelation.

The Trojan prince Paris was appointed by Zeus, ruler of the Olympian deities, to step in and settle rival claims of consummate beauty made by the goddesses Hera, Minerva and Aphrodite.

The fateful event is here reduced to only three summarily rendered characters. At left and center, respectively, Hera and Aphrodite are seated on the rocky slopes of Mount Ida, a sacred spot in the northwestern part of modern Turkey. Hera, queen of the gods, prominently wields her scepter, while Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and sensuality, holds the just-presented wreath of victory.

Before them stands Hermes, the winged god of communication and safe passage. In return for favoring Aphrodite, Paris received Helen of Sparta, the loveliest of all mortal women. The struggle by the Greeks to recover the already married Helen lasted 10 years and ended with the total destruction of Troy.

The story of the Judgment of Paris has been told and retold countless times, both in literary versions and in artistic form. Here, however, the straightforward treatment of the event has taken on a radically different form.

The face of Hera leers grotesquely with staring eyes and gaping mouth. Similarly, the representation of Aphrodite departs in a quite unexpected way from the somatic norm of the Greek figure. Rendered in strict profile, her negroid features are clearly evident. The same evocation of blackness characterizes the head of Hermes confronting her own.

All painted wares of this particular type are associated exclusively with the Kabeirion, a sanctuary located several miles outside the Greek city of Thebes. The sacred precinct is named after the kabeiroi, underground deities worshipped in secret. The appeal of this and other ancient mysterious religions such as the Egyptian Isis cult lay in the profound shift from the conventional obeisance to the gods to a rapturous, personal identification with the divine by initiates to the cult.

The numerous drinking vessels found at the Kabeirion seem to have formed an integral part of the rituals held at the sanctuary. The rites apparently concluded with the smashing of the cups, perhaps as a way of invoking the power of the kabeiroi.

The painted scene on the skyphos could also recall a dramatic presentation of the event, perhaps a short play staged in honor of the local deities. In this case, actors such as those portraying Aphrodite and Hermes on the cup would presumably have appeared as Africans, their affect aided by carved and painted theatrical masks.

The same inclusion of blackness holds true for several other types of scenes found on the Kabeirion skyphoi. One of the most remarkable of these presents a dramatic confrontation taken from Homer’s Odyssey, the companion epic to The Iliad.

During a stop along the wandering path of his journey home, the great hero Odysseus encounters the sorceress Circe, who tries to transform him into a pig in order to keep him with her. She offers him the fateful potion, which he rejects with a surprised gesture. Circe appears unmistakably as a black woman, while Odysseus’ image is in keeping with the standard type of the old man in Greek art.

The underlying emphasis on powerful, occult forces in the Circe scene made it an ideal subject for use at the Kabeirion. The moment of potential metamorphosis from a rational creature into another, less comprehending form alludes to the ecstatic experience undergone by the initiates of the cult. Interestingly, the notion of a black Circe as skilled practitioner of spells reappears in our own time as the protagonist in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon.

The visual characterization of blacks as figures from Greek legend seems to have been derived from the association of Africans with the liminal zones of the earth, associated by the Greeks with barbarism—simply meaning non-Greek culture. On other skyphoi, the range of black figures includes the highly popular type of the cave-dwelling pygmy.

The great appeal of such foreign cultures for the Greeks stems, at least in part, from the belief that imagery derived from the African physiognomy could effectively counter the powerful, unsettling forces at large in the world.

As in any society, the farther a given form departed from Greek norms, the more unsettling it seemed. This response was hardly demeaning, however, since for the Greeks the exotic in nature held an enormous capacity for warding off evil. The apotropaic effect was greatly enhanced by the caricatural treatment of the subject, as seen in the representation of Aphrodite and Hermes on this skyphos.

The apparently mocking treatment of the black figures in the Judgment of Paris should be regarded as a calculated inversion of the usual relationship between the Greeks and their gods. At a site where the powerful and potentially dangerous Kabeiric mysteries were summoned, the normal place of Greek religion was given over to the protection of the site’s resident forces.

The rendering of the Olympian gods as a positive form of the racialized other is supported in the extensive modern literature on the subject. Such a view is borne out by the argument of the pioneering scholar Frank Snowden that true racial prejudice did not exist in ancient times but evolved only with the advent of the slave trade in the early-modern period.

Snowden’s view is further supported by the incredible variety of sympathetic guises taken by the black form in ancient Greek and Roman art.

The profile features of a black man appear on coins minted by the city of Delphi in apparent homage to the venerated founder of the city. Among the Etruscans, the masklike black face placed on the eaves of a sacred shrine served as a powerful means to repel evil forces, a quality incidentally attributed to the kabeiroi themselves. 

[pwlanier]

Vase, North African (Tunis El Aouja, Navigius school), 290–320. African red slip ware

Courtesy Alain Truong

[cadmuslabs777]

Do you any idea how THRILLING it was to hear Buttons chanting Iemanjá??!?!!? My mom and I were basically the Leo DiCaprio meme pointing at the screen but really fucking excited.

Also before that even happened my mom was telling what "vase" means because at least in Umbanda it means a "vessel" where you keep a spirit, and she thought that's what he was talking about. What my mom thought would happen would've been cooler because then Buttons would have actually trade spirits with a seagull meaning we would have a Buttons that is going around acting like a fucking seagull.... But we still appreciated the reference and how they made the double meaning funny.

It occured to me though that the Pirate Queen probably got that scroll from african slaves.