Euripides and the Language of Craft

521 Pages·2010·4.07 MB·English

by  Mary Stieber

Euripides and the Language of Craft
Mnemosyne
Supplements
Monographs on Greek and
Latin Language and Literature
EditorialBoard
G.J. Boter
A. Chaniotis
K.M. Coleman
I.J.F. de Jong
T. Reinhardt
VOLUME327
Euripides and
the Language of Craft
By
Mary Stieber
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2011
Onthecover:Red-figureolpefromCapuashowingAthenafashioningahorse,ca.470B.C.,
(BerlinF2415).WithkindpermissionoftheBerlinerAntikenmuseum.
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Stieber,MaryC.(MaryClorinda)
Euripidesandthelanguageofcraft/byMaryStieber.
p.cm.–(Mnemosynesupplements.MonographsonGreekandRomanlanguageand
literature,ISSN0169-8958;327)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-18906-5(hardback:alk.paper)
1.Euripides–Literarystyle.2.Euripides–Language.3.Euripides–Knowledge–Art.4.Visual
perceptioninliterature.5.Allusionsinliterature.I.Title.
PA3992.S752011
882'.01–dc22
2010041730
ISSN 0169-8958
ISBN 9789004189065
Copyright2011byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments..................................................... vii
Preface ................................................................. ix
Abbreviations ..........................................................xxv
ChapterOne:Architecture ............................................ 1
Introduction......................................................... 1
TheTopographyoftheCity......................................... 12
Walls................................................................. 16
TheLanguageofArchitecture ...................................... 23
Foundations...................................................... 24
ColumnsandSupportingMembers............................. 36
Superstructures................................................... 48
τ(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:3)ς/τε(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:3)ς........................................................ 84
“Cyclopean”Masonry............................................... 90
πυργ(cid:12)ω.............................................................. 104
Conclusion.......................................................... 110
ChapterTwo:Sculpture ............................................... 115
Introduction......................................................... 115
(cid:14)γαλμαand(cid:17)γ(cid:18)λματα............................................. 116
TheAestheticsofStatuary .......................................... 145
HerLivingImage ................................................... 162
WipedClean ........................................................ 172
ACrownofGlory................................................... 178
TheWoodenHorse ................................................. 185
Conclusion.......................................................... 192
ChapterThree:Painting ............................................... 195
Introduction......................................................... 195
LandscapeinPhaethon’s“Dawn-song” ............................ 203
Polyxena,Again..................................................... 215
PaintingsasInstructors............................................. 218
FurtherTechnicalDevelopments................................... 232
Vase-painting ....................................................... 241
ThePortrayalofCharacter.......................................... 255
vi contents
Ganymede........................................................... 267
Conclusion.......................................................... 273
ChapterFour:Ion...................................................... 275
Introduction......................................................... 275
IonandtheAcropolis............................................... 278
TheEkphrasisoftheParodos....................................... 284
TheTent............................................................. 302
TheArtofWeaving ................................................. 315
ThePeplos........................................................ 321
Many-coloredThreads........................................... 325
WeavingMetaphors.............................................. 331
Conclusion.......................................................... 334
ChapterFive:APracticedHand....................................... 337
Introduction......................................................... 337
IntheStudio ........................................................ 340
TheLanguageofArtCriticism ..................................... 360
σ(cid:5)(cid:20)μα............................................................. 361
(cid:21)υ(cid:22)μ(cid:12)ς/ε(cid:23)ρ(cid:24)(cid:22)μως............................................... 365
(cid:25)δ(cid:27)α............................................................... 371
παρ(cid:18)δειγμα...................................................... 372
τ(cid:24)π(cid:3)ς............................................................. 373
καν(cid:31)νandστ(cid:18)(cid:22)μη .............................................. 380
μ!μημαandμιμ(cid:27)(cid:3)μαι ............................................ 397
Wonderworking..................................................... 400
TheHandThatisΣ(cid:3)#(cid:12)ς............................................ 415
Conclusion.......................................................... 426
Epilogue................................................................ 429
WorksCited............................................................ 435
GeneralIndex.......................................................... 461
EuripidesPassageIndex ............................................... 485
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iwishtoexpressmythankstovariousindividualsandgroupswho,over
the years, have helped in one way or another to bring this project to
fruition.Firstandforemost,forhissupportfromitsinceptionuntiljust
short of its completion, to John Walsh, together with whom I read all
ofEuripides’extantplaysandmostofthelongerfragmentsintheearly
stagesofgatheringmaterial.IamalsoindebtedtoJohnfortheexample
set by his own scholarship. To my colleague Brian Swann, for unflag-
ging encouragement especially through the most trying of times and,
though Greek is not his field, who gamely read several portions of the
text and made useful suggestions from an experienced literary critical
perspective. To the organizers of the Banff conference on Euripides in
,MartinCroppandthelateKevinLee,who,whenIhadjustbegun
work,offeredmetheopportunitytopresentmypreliminaryfindingsat
amajorinternationalconference,andencouragedmetofollowthrough
ontheproject.TomyformerstudentEduardoEscobar,forreadingpor-
tionsofthemanuscriptandtrackingdownsomelastminutereferences.
Tothecountlesslibrarieswhowerewillingtolendtheirmaterials;with-
outtheservicesofInterlibraryLoanIwouldnothavebeenabletocon-
duct my research. At my home institution, for their assistance, advice,
andunderstandinginthepublicationphaseoftheproject,specialthanks
areduetoCatherineSiemann,myindexer,KatherineApolito,BillGer-
mano, and Hadi Jammal. The editors at Brill, especially Caroline van
Erp, were as efficient and patient as can be. Thanks also to Brill’s two
anonymous referees, a philologist and an archaeologist, whose invalu-
ablesuggestions,comments,andcorrectionshavebeenincorporatedinto
thetextandnotes,withoutacknowledgement.Ihopetheywillnoticein
the finished product where and how I have followed through on each
one of their expert observations. Finally, to all the truly great Euripi-
deans, whose work is acknowledged throughout, who have graciously
maderoomforaninterdisciplinaryinterloper.Ihopethatmyowncon-
tributionwillserveasanotunworthytributetotheirs.

PREFACE
The extant works of the three major fifth-century tragedians offer a
rich and relatively untapped resource for understanding how Classical
Greeks responded to their visual arts. While there have been many
studies of the influences of contemporary politics, current events, and
social issues on the Athenian dramatists,1 few have been devoted to
if and how the material culture with which the playwrights interacted
on a daily basis found its way into their works. This is a study of one
tragic poet, Euripides, and his relationship with the visual arts. Why
focus on Euripides, among the three great Athenian tragedians? The
answer is simple: He refers or alludes to art and architecture more
often, more tangibly, and with a keener eye for accuracy than either of
his two compatriots, Aeschylus or Sophocles. For the dramatist most
attuned to the expansive visual culture of his era, it offered an array
of alternative aesthetic viewpoints, some convenient tropes and plot
devices,andavocabularyrichwithmetaphoricandfigurativepotential.
Weshallexploreallofthesecategoriesinthepagesthatfollow.
Inthecourseofarelativelyshorthistory,researchontherelationships
betweentheancientdramatistsandthevisualartshastendedtoconcen-
trateontheidentificationandinterpretationofscenesfromplaysosten-
sibly depicted in works of art, especially vase paintings, those from the
Greek West in the fourth century bc being the richest in number and
content.2WithEuripidesthemostpopularoftheplaywrights,itfollows
thathisworksprovedmostpopularassubjectmatterforcontemporary
andlaterartists.Studiesofthistypeassumethattheartistswereinspired
bycontemporarypublicperformancesofplays,theirprimarygoalbeing
to uncover evidence for the plots and action of plays both preserved
and lost, for the costuming of actors, dancing, music, and other stage
1 E.g.,JustinaGregory,EuripidesandtheInstructionoftheAthenians(AnnArbor,
);ChristianMeier,ThePoliticalArtofGreekTragedy,trans.AndrewWebber(Balti-
more,MD,).DonaldJ.Mastronarde,TheArtofEuripides.DramaticTechniqueand
SocialContext(Cambridge,Eng.,andNewYork,),cametomyattentiontoolateto
consult.
2 See,mostrecently,OliverTaplin,Pots&Plays.InteractionsbetweenTragedyand
GreekVase-PaintingoftheFourthCenturyB.C.(LosAngeles,CA,),whoacknowl-
edges(p.x)thepioneeringworkofA.D.Trendallinthisfieldofstudy.