Ancient Greek Ceramic Apulian, 4th Century BC Pelike with a hermaphrodite. 22.5 cm H. Very rare.

Pelike with a hermaphrodite - very rare - CULTURE: Apulia, Magna Graecia PERIOD: 4th century AD MATERIAL: Pottery DIMENSIONS: Height 22. 5 cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Barcelona, Spain, 1980 - 1970. Previously in private collection, England. CONDITION: In a good state of preservation with some repainting of the black surface. The decoration is the original. DESCRIPTION: A pelike is a type of small amphora with a wide base and an almost spherical body. This one is decorated with the red-figure technique. The form of the vase is characteristic of Apulian production, with a lip separated from the high neck and with a considerable flanged base so that it can stand on its own. The technique of red-figure decoration, which began in Athens in the 5th century BC, consisted of the use of a type of transparent slip to paint the vessel while this was not yet totally dry. It was then fired at a high temperature so that the surface painted with the slip turned black, thus creating a contrast with those areas just showing the red tone of the terracotta. The large vertical handles join the outer edge of the lip to the shoulders of the vase. They seem to divide the visual composition: below we find two large palmettes which frame the two scenes which decorate the piece. In one of these we can see a naked figure in profile leaning to the right. The person has the left leg bent with the foot up on rock, a detail which indicates that the scene is outdoors. The right arm is extended as if the person were calling out to the second figure on the other side of the vessel. While the genitals are those of a male, the face and the hairstyling are clearly those of a female. We are, therefore, observing a representation of a hermaphrodite. There is a figure of a woman on the other side of the vessel. A leg is bent in a running position and she is looking back over her shoulder, a gesture which usually indicates that a figure is fleeing someone or something of danger. She is wearing a long chiton without sleeves. Her face seems to express fear or surprise. Although the large vegetal motifs decorating the vessel could indicate a certain lack of detail or precision on the part of the painter who has done the decoration, the strokes detailing the folds of the clothing and the movement of the body are characteristic of an artist familiar with the classical prototypes. According to some literary sources, a divine being with the characteristics of both sexes was born from the union of Aphrodite and Hermes. This being, a hermaphrodite, represented the sexual fullness of both genders. A similar legend comes from the East and tells that Agdistis, a superhuman engendered by Zeus, possessed an androgynous beauty which caused frenzy among men and gods, and for this reason, had to be sacrificed. The figure of a hermaphrodite has had a certain presence in Roman and Hellenic sculpture, as it offered the possibility to play with the tactile qualities of the female figure and masculine virility at the same time. However there are only a few examples of this iconography in Greek vase painting. The offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite is represented as a winged female figure, forming part of the retinue of Eros and his mother (as can be seen in the vase conserved in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, New York, RISD 1986. 158) , accompanying maidens on the day of their wedding. In some cases, a certain funerary connotation is present, as the figure seems to crown a young woman as a new wife of Hades. However, hermaphrodite figures are also found in Dionysian scenes along with fauns, satyrs, bacchantes, nymphs, etc. , (see Museo Arqueológico Nacional, inv. 1999/99/128) . In this case the figure may appear with or without wings, and be taking part in the debauchery of the bacchanalian orgies. The conception of the hermaphrodite as a figure with the features of both sexes probably lead to it being included in the Dionysian iconography, and assimilated into the primitive and sexual world of this god of fertility and plenty. This theme was found widely in the Roman epoch: the wall murals of Pompeii are a clear example of its popularity. (Pompeii VIII,4,4) . BIBLIOGRAPHY: -\t. Pitture e Mosaici IX. 1999. p. 1040 y ss. -\t. ASHEDE, L. Desiring Hermaphrodites, The Relationships of Hermaphroditus in Roman Group Scenes. University of Gotenburg. 2015. -\t. KOLOSKI-OSTROW, A. O. Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology. Psychology Press. 1997. p. 220 y ss. -\t. MAYO, M. ed. The Art of South Italy, Vases from Magna Graecia. Richmond. 1987. -\t. TRENDALL, A. D. y Cambitolglou, A. First Supplement to the Red-Figured Vases of Apulia, London. 1983. -\t. TREDALL, A. D. Red Figure Vases of South Italy and Sicily. London. 1989. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) . - According to Spanish legislation, items sent outside the European Union are subject to export taxes and will be added to the invoice, at the buyer's expense. These export fees are fixed on the final auction price and the tax rate is not applied directly on the total value of the item to be exported, but rather the different percentages by sections are applied to it: - Up to 6,000 euros: 5%. - From 6. 001 to 60. 000 euros: 10%. - From 60. 001 to 600. 000 euros: 20%. This export permit application process can take between 1-2 months maximum. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.