Programme & Abstracts :: Registration Details :: Accommodation

THE CLOTHED BODY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
17-19 January 2002

Amy C. Smith,
Department of Classics, University of Reading

The Pan Painter's Mannerism: Costume and artistic license

Much of our knowledge of the costumes of antiquity is generated from observation of human figures on ancient art works. This is especially true of Athenian vases of the Archaic and Classical periods. These works provide us with a wealth of material to fuel our frenzy for knowledge of the "daily life" of individuals from that society as well as information about their myths and gods. There is little perceptible difference, however, between the attire of so-called "daily life" figures and those involved in myth. In this paper I will contrast the costumes of figures in both genres in the oeuvre of the Pan Painter. The Pan Painter, whose works date from ca. 490 to 460 BC, is named for his memorable depiction of the woodland god chasing a shepherd, on a bell krater in Boston. Using this and other examples across the Pan Painter's iconographic range, I will examine the four ways in which he adapted costumes to complement the shape of each pot decorated: volume, shape, texture, and detailed flourishes.

The Pan Painter has long been recognised as the quintessential 'mannerist' painter. Previous scholars have not asked, however, why the Pan Painter might have adopted such a mannered style. A broad explanation is certainly the theatrical mentality-attention to gestures and poses capturing a certain narrative moment-that the Pan Painter shared with contemporary artists. More specifically this painter sought to decorate his pots with images that complemented the shape of each pot. I will argue that artistic license rather than prevailing styles, social trends, or attention to genre represented, dictated his choice of costume and that, through costumes as well as poses, the Pan Painter accentuated the defining elements of each forms that served as a canvas for his art.