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Robin-Ḍuraʾ 1
Antonini de Maigret and Robin 2015
Antonini de Maigret and Robin 2015
Antonini de Maigret and Robin 2015: 4, fig. 2
Antonini de Maigret and Robin 2015: 8, fig. 4
DEPOSIT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Unknown, Unknown (Private collection) |
SUPPORT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Container » Calathos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Material | Silver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Decoration |
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| Notes on support and decorations | The calathus is a deep drinking vessel in the shape of a truncated cone, without foot, and generally provided with one vertical handle (missing from this specimen) attached at the rim and shoulder. The lip is raised and rounded, decorated with a floral band with scroll bordered above by a band of alternating beaded motif and a line of ovoli. The base is decorated with a series of beads, a smooth band, a vine tendril with leaves and grapes and another narrower smooth band. The middle portion of the vase is embossed on a smooth background with a representation of the mythological struggle between the Olympian Gods and the Thracian Giants. The only natural scenery is represented by small, jagged peaks depicting the landscape. The scene features four pairs of characters, three comprising a goddess, Artemis, Hecate and Athena, each with a giant, and the fourth pair is composed of Heracles, also with a giant. |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Hajar am-Dhaybiyya |
| Ancient site | Unknown |
| Geographical area | Wādī Ḍuraʾ |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Urban context: Royal palace S²bʿn and Yġl |
| Notes | The origin from the necropolis of Wādī Ḍuraʾ is hypothetical. |
| Link to site record |
NOTES
| Proposed dating: 1st century AD - 2nd century AD (see Antonini De Maigret 2015: 6). |
CULTURAL NOTES
'The gigantomachy is one of the favoured themes depicted on vases and sculptural artworks from the Classical and Hellenistic eras until Imperial times. However, the
composition of the Yemeni calathos appears to draw its inspiration from the Pergamon model. The iconography and the formal features, as well as the concept of a naturalistic realism, have a clear Hellenistic mark. A number of features strongly suggest the Hellenistic style. The characters, placed on two planes, occupy almost the entire fi eld and their bodies are presented frontally or in three-quarters view. The scene is animated by the intersection of straight lines formed by the outstretched arms, the legs and the brandished weapons. These lines alternate with
curved contours formed by the drapery, the shields and serpentine coils. The plastic modelling of the musculature of the male nudes powerfully contrasts with the detailed, soft rendering of the gods’ rich and lively drapery — both features are animated by the intensity of the movements of the bodies. Finally, the artwork demonstrates a search for naturalistic details, the twisting of the bodies and the
expressive force of the characters. The result is an artwork of high technical and artistic value' (Antonini De Maigret, Robin 2015: 5).
composition of the Yemeni calathos appears to draw its inspiration from the Pergamon model. The iconography and the formal features, as well as the concept of a naturalistic realism, have a clear Hellenistic mark. A number of features strongly suggest the Hellenistic style. The characters, placed on two planes, occupy almost the entire fi eld and their bodies are presented frontally or in three-quarters view. The scene is animated by the intersection of straight lines formed by the outstretched arms, the legs and the brandished weapons. These lines alternate with
curved contours formed by the drapery, the shields and serpentine coils. The plastic modelling of the musculature of the male nudes powerfully contrasts with the detailed, soft rendering of the gods’ rich and lively drapery — both features are animated by the intensity of the movements of the bodies. Finally, the artwork demonstrates a search for naturalistic details, the twisting of the bodies and the
expressive force of the characters. The result is an artwork of high technical and artistic value' (Antonini De Maigret, Robin 2015: 5).
EPIGRAPHS
| Title | Robin-Ḍuraʾ 1 |
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Ḥaḍramitic |
| Link to epigraph record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Antonini de Maigret 2012: 117-118, pl. 77, figs. 16a-116b | Antonini de Maigret, Sabina 2012. South Arabian art. Art history in pre-Islamic Yemen. (Orient & Méditerranée, 10). Paris: De Boccard. |
| Antonini de Maigret 2012 a: 112-113, fig. 12 | Antonini de Maigret, Sabina 2012. Il sentimento religioso e le arti figurative dei Sudarabici. Pages 105-114 in Sabina Antonini, Paola D'Amore and Michael Jung (eds). Il trono della regina di Saba. Cultura e diplomazia fra Italia e Yemen. La Collezione Sudarabica del Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale. Rome: Artemide. |
| Antonini de Maigret and Robin 2015: 3-5, figs. 1-2 | Antonini de Maigret, Sabina and Robin, Christian J. 2015. Two silver vases of Greco-Roman style from the 'treasure of wādī Ḍuraʾ' (Yemen). Pages 3-12 in Mounir Arbach and Jérémie Schiettecatte (eds). Pre-Islamic South Arabia and its Neighbours: New Developments of Research. Proceedings of the 17th Rencontres Sabéennes held in Paris, 6–8 June 2013. (BAR International Series, 2740). 16. Oxford: Archaeopress. [British Foundation for the Study of Arabia Monographs, 16] |
| Antonini de Maigret 2015: 66, fig. 13 | Antonini de Maigret, Sabina 2015. Religion, art and architecture. Pages 60-85 in Sabina Antonini de Maigret, Paola D'Amore and Michael Jung. Searching for the the Queen of Sheba. Atlanta, Georgia Fernbank Museum of Natural History. September 26, 2015 - January 3, 2016. Firenze: Tipolitografia Artigraf. |