If you are in Houston before July, don't miss the MFAH exhibition of Greek Bronze Vessels from the Collection of Shelby White and Leon Levy. The 14 objects in the exhibition were created throughout a wide area of the ancient world, from the Greek islands to Rome, ranging in time from the life of the epic poet Homer about 700 B.C. to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, beginning in 31 B.C. The show is on view through July 10, 2005 in the museum´s Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main Street.
The exhibition displays a variety of the earliest vessels used for practical purposes, decorations that were once attached to such vessels and other objects, and a hydria and krater, which are large containers for water and wine, respectively. Intact vessels, like the hydria and krater in this exhibition, are rare. While appliqués for vessels and other objects were made of solid cast bronze, the bodies of containers were made from thinly hammered bronze that often disintegrated over time. The appliqués in the show are notable for their exquisite workmanship and excellent condition.
Highlights of the exhibition are a Calyx krater with applied silver decoration and stand and Hydria with appliqué of Orpheus and satyr, both 4th century B.C. The elegant krater required hammered, cast, and appliqué elements, and is a striking example of the most refined metalwork created in the Greek world at that time. Its body is decorated with a delicate trail of silver vines and tendrils. Pairs of female faces with wavy hair are attached on each side below the handles. The hydria features a plaque of the musician Orpheus playing a lyre as an enchanted young satyr looks on. The scene is attached just below the large handle used to tilt the vessel for pouring. That handle and two others on the sides, used for lifting and carrying the hydria, also were cast and added to the vessel´s body, as was the foot.
Among the outstanding examples of appliqués in the exhibition are Figure of an Athlete (6th century B.C.) and Mask of Dionysus (1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.). The young athlete´s physique features a broad chest, narrow waist, and large thighs and buttocks. His legs are set in stride to indicate a man in motion. A rough patch on the bottom of the right knee indicates the figure was probably attached to a base, which would have been attached to a vessel. Vessels decorated with athletes are known to have been awarded as prizes in athletic competitions. The mask of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, is cast in solid bronze and depicts a face with large eyes, a straight nose, and a magnificent wavy beard extending from cheekbone to cheekbone. Research suggests these kinds of masks often were made in pairs and attached as decorative elements on buckets used to carry wine.
