Beats, Kate A. (2012) Size, surface and shape : experiencing the Athenian vase. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study provides an alternative framework for the interpretation of the painted and plain
Athenian vase during the Late Archaic and Classical period. The primary focus is on the
way in which the vase came to interact with society. As a commodity with a practical use,
the vase was permitted to circulate in social spaces in Athens. As a consequence of this
contact, the accumulated meaning became more symbolic than practical. For instance, due
to its use within the domestic sphere, the vase became a symbol of domesticity. This
development of symbolism involves a transformation in the perception of the vase as
something more than a practically functioning thing. The functions that the vase performed
were meaningful in themselves. For the purposes of exploring the manifestation of this
transformation, this study draws upon an anthropological theory of art as well as theories
which interpret the experience of viewing. Although the painted vase is discussed alongside
plain vessels, its decorative component is considered as a further expression of
communication between the vase and society, Athens in particular. The manifestation of
this communication between the vase, context and user is isolated to three characteristics
in this study; size, surface and shape. Alterations in these components reduce the practical
function of the vase in favour of its symbolic qualities. These factors are discussed over five
chapters. In so doing, this study offers a radically revised interpretation of the vase as an
object which is entirely context dependent and came to represent the communication
between commodities and society.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NK Decorative arts Applied arts Decoration and ornament
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Vases, Greek -- Greece -- Athens
Official Date:	March 2012
Dates:	Date Event March 2012 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Classics and Ancient History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Davidson, James N.
Sponsors:	University of Warwick. Dept. of Classics and Ancient History
Extent:	xxix, 277 leaves : ill.
Language:	eng

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