BaBesch 74 (1999) Laconian clay and bronze oinochoae with plastic decora- tions Paola Pelagatti and Conrad Stibbe Part 1 shown to have a Laconian provenance in the survey recently conducted in Sicily. Fragments of the same ware were also reported by D. Williams at Aegina, INTRODUCTION. in the sanctuary of Aphaia, and by R. Catling fol- lowing an extensive survey in Laconia itself1. When Arthur Lane wrote his fundamental study on The presence of this form2 – until recently almost Laconian pottery, published in BSA 34 (1933-'34) unattested outside Sparta – had already been 99-189, he did not have much to tell about Laconian reported by Boardman and Hayes on the other side oinochoae. Just half a page was enough for the of the Western Mediterranean, at Tocra (ancient whole story (p. 145). The shape was “very common Taucheira) in Libya3. at Sparta, but few were exported”, he noted. Some years earlier, E. Kunze and B. B. Shefton, Since then the situation has changed considerably. publishing material respectively from Olympia and Now we know that in fact many Laconian trefoil- Perachora4, had recognized two tiny palmettes with mouthed oinochoae, black-figured and, above all, snake finials as belonging to Laconian oinochoae, black-glazed, were exported from the second half of in the plastically decorated version. They had con- the seventh century, through most of the sixth B.C. nected them with some equally miniscule fragments With the help of bronze oinochoae, which recently from the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta, have been identified as Laconian, the story of the where complete plain black forms are lacking. A shape in the archaic period can be completed. The complete plain black specimen was however more elaborated plastic decorations, which, for tech- reported by the same two scholars: the Kameiros nical reasons, could be applied to bronze oinochoae, no. 13315 oinochoae (figs. 1-2), from the necropo- were imitated, as far as possible, in clay too. lis of Macri Langoni in Rhodes. For many years this Especially to the latter category we want to draw the specimen remained unique – even if not always rec- attention, because only here the close relationship ognized – as representing in its entirety this type of between the oinochoae in clay and bronze can non-painted jug, with a particularly elaborate plas- clearly be demonstrated. The reader should bear in tic decoration5. mind, however, that the majority of Laconian black- To the same ware J. Boardman6 attributed an glazed clay oinochoae did not have any plastic fig- oinochoe neck fragment with a lion head at its upper ure decoration at all (on these see Stibbe, LBP 3, in handle-attachment, looking across the mouth of the print). vase. Recovered during a survey conducted along The starting point for our combined efforts was the the coast of Cyrenaica, in connexion with the British discovery, by Paola Pelagatti, of a number of unpub- School’s excavations at Tocra, it may be considered lished black-glazed Laconian oinochoae with plas- the earliest specimen of the Laconian vases found tic decoration from Sicilian collections and find- places. She succeeded in extending this small assemblage with specimens from other findplaces, 1 Williams 1993, p. 588, F 3, fig. 25; Catling 1996, p. 63, no. as far distant from Sparta as e.g. Tocra, Rhodos, 32; fragments of two specimens were reported from a pottery dump on the coast near Torre S. Sabina (Salento) by D’Andria Samos, and Olbia (southern Russia). 1976, p. 37, nos. 27, 28. It seemed worthwhile to compare her findings with 2 This form will be discussed at greater length by C. Stibbe in the parallels in bronze, which, as Laconian products, his forthcoming ‘Laconian Oil-flasks and other closed shapes’ were never comprehensively discussed before. (LBP III), due to be published shortly. 3 Tocra I, pp. 88, 90, nos. 962-967. 4 Kunze 1941, pp. 21-22; Shefton 1962, p. 384. 5 Not always recognized as Laconian, the Kameiros oinochoe LACONIAN CLAY OINOCHOAE WITH PLASTIC DECORA- has nonetheless often drawn the attention of scholars: e.g. TIONS J. Beazley and F. Magi, in La Raccolta B. Guglielmi nel Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, II, Roma 1941, p. 190 s.; Brown 1960, p. 127 (“From the picture it looks as though it could be eastern Numerous trefoil-mouthed plain black jugs, in the bucchero”); Hill 1958, p. 195, note 7; cf. also infra cat. no. 5. simplest version, devoid of plastic decoration, were 6 Boardman 1967, p. 155. 21 Fig. 1. Cat. no. 5, Rhodos, Museum 13315, from Kameiros. 22 Fig. 2. Cat. no. 5: Rhodos, Museum 13315, from Kameiros. 23 Fig. 3. Cat. no. 7, St. Petersburg, Hermitage 0.1909.32, from Olbia. 24 Museums (no. 10), identified by C. Stibbe8, another from the Black Sea (no. 7), brought to my attention thanks to the photographs and information provided by Dr. Sofia Boriskovkaia, Director of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities of the Hermitage, and two from Sicily (nos. 8 and 9), of which one recovered from a votive pit recently explored by G. Voza in Ortigia. These few exam- ples offer an occasion for a brief discussion of a group which shows how, even in the production of plain black ware, Laconian potters experimented with creations of notable quality, which were also widely appreciated on overseas markets8 bis. 1 – Sparta, Artemis Orthia (a) 5145, oinochoe fragment: part of the neck with lion head on the rim and “arms” along the rim terminating in monkey head (one only preserved), height 6.7 cm; diam. mouth c. 12 cm. Bibl.: AO, fig. 65 q; Stibbe 1994, p. 117-118, notes 65- 82, fig. 3, pl. 27, 4. (b) fragment with lower handle-attachment, portion of plastic palmette and part of two snake-headed finials, pointing upwards. Bibl.: AO, fig. 65 p; Hill 1967, p. 45, no. 2. (c) other fragments with palmette: AO, pl. 65 o, u, w (d) fragments with lion head: ibid, pl. 65 k, l, m. 2 – Amyklai, C. Christou excavation, fragment of oinochoe: fragment of body and portion of handle with palmette and snake-headed finials, height 10.4 cm; width 9.7 cm. Bibl.: Stibbe 1994, p. 117, note 66, pl. 27, 1. 3 – Olympia, fragment of oinochoe: wall and lower por- Fig. 4. Cat. no. 7, St. Petersburg, Hermitage 0.1909.32, tion of handle with paired vertical grooves and horizon- from Olbia. tal plastic ring at the base, plastic palmette below with two partially preserved snakes springing from it. Bibl.: Kunze 1941, pp. 21-22, fig. 9 a; Stibbe 1994, p. in a territory which would later reveal significant 117, note 65. quantities of imported pottery from Sparta. In his 4 – Perachora 4113, fragment of oinochoe: palmette description of the fragment Boardman observed: with beginning of upwards-turned rib to the left; height “The ‘arms’ along the rim terminate in rough rep- 5.5 cm. resentations of animal heads, probably monkeys.” Bibl.; Shefton 1962, p. 384, no. 4113, pl. 159; Stibbe These heads of monkeys – animals probably famil- 1994, p. 119, note 84. iar in Sparta and recurrent in the repertoire of the main Laconian vase-painter, the exotic Arkesilas 5 – Rhodes, Kameiros Inv. 13315, necropolis of Macri Langoni, T. 93. Complete oinochoe, here figs. 1-2; height painter, who had an undoubted knowledge of the (to the highest point of the trefoils) 23.5 cm; height of North African environment – together with the lion neck 5.5-5.2 cm; diam. foot 9.0 cm; max. diam. 15.5 cm. protome and the pendent relief palmette with snake Part of the mouth (one of the trefoils) and part of the finials, offer a quite precise and unique combination upper handle are restored. Context: 13313 Attic kylix, that is perhaps of “Laconian invention”, as recently with ivy leaf branch; 13314 small black-figure amphora. proposed by C. Stibbe, who suggested that they Bibl.: Clara Rhodos IV, 1931, Sep. 93, p. 193, p. 198, reflect the form and decoration of bronze oinochoae7. Only a few examples of this ware are so far known: 7 Stibbe 1994, pp. 8-120, 117, with particular reference to we are tempted to trace them to a single workshop bronze exemplars. which we might conveniently call the “Kameiros 8 Stibbe 1994, p. 118. 8 bis In the list that follows, the pieces are placed in the approx- 13315 oinochoe workshop”. A number of other imate order in which they were made known, which does not specimens can be added: a variant in the Capitoline necessarily reflect their chronological sequence. 25 figs. 208-9; CVA: Rodi 1, III He, pl. 16.4; P. Jacobsthal, Syracuse, Rhodes, Olbia and perhaps Samos) is GGA, 1933, p. 12; J. Beazley & F. Magi, La Raccolta fairly significant: it extends to Cyrenaica and Sicily Benedetto Guglielmi nel Museo Gregoriano Etrusco II, in the West, and to Rhodes and the Black Sea, two 1941, p. 190 f.; Kunze 1941, p. 21, note 3; Brown 1960, crucial areas of Greek trade, in the East. p. 127; Shefton 1962, p. 384; Boardman 1967, p. 155, note 29; Hill 1958, p. 195, note 7; ibid, 1967, pp. 45-46; Not much is yet known about Laconian imports in Stibbe 1994, p. 117, note 65. these latter two areas – perhaps more numerous than has hitherto emerged. But, as D. Williams has 6 – Tocra, fragment of oinochoe: part of the shoulder, recently assumed9, it is not improbable that there neck and handle-attachment with lion-head protome and was a transmission of Laconian plain black pottery “arms” (width 9.3 cm) along the rim terminating in mon- key heads.