Blog: Reading a Vase

There are two scenes on this vase – the smaller one on the shoulder shows a typical frieze of the god Dionysus and several maenads and satyrs dancing or celebrating, which contrasts with the more serious topic of the scene on the body of the vase. 

In this main scene, a seemingly peaceful procession of three goddesses, a hero and a god represents, to the ancient Greek* viewer, not just the moment of the “Judgement of Paris” but the whole story of the causes of the Trojan War and the roles played by the gods in this important episode.

For the modern viewer too, this part-myth, part-historical episode can be seen as a precipitous moment which initiated the Trojan War. The legends, myths and stories of this event have retained their significance for millennia.  

It is useful then, to be able to understand the way the story is “told” by the artist of this vase. Sets of symbols or objects are used which make up an iconography that could be understood by the contemporary audience in much the same way as language. Iconography is very powerful “shorthand” for getting ideas and associations across to an audience and adding depth and resonance to an image.

The scene on this vase depicts the beauty contest between three goddesses for a golden apple inscribed “to the fairest”. It fell to Zeus (ruler of the gods) to select the victor but sensing a no-win situation in choosing between Hera (his wife), Athena (his daughter) and Aphrodite (goddess of beauty and love) Zeus called on Paris to adjudicate. Paris was a son of King Priam of Troy, an attractive youth with a reputation (up until then) for integrity. 

Similarly, attributes can identify other figures on the vase and establish their mythic “credentials”. The selection of attributes used may vary depending on the aspect of the story the artist wishes to emphasise.

Here, Aphrodite (on the left), goddess of love and sexuality, is dressed simply, as a woman in an ornate cloak. Athena (central figure), the warrior goddess, is recognisable by her spear, aegis, and crested helmet, and the goddess Hera (on the right) is fully draped and wearing a 'polos' on her head (representing marriage, and matriarchal authority).

The goddesses’ symbols align with the rewards (bribes?) offered to Paris should he choose them as the winner of the contest. Hera offered sovereignty of Europe and Asia; Athena guaranteed invincibility in battle; and Aphrodite promised the love of the most beautiful woman on earth, i.e. Helen - unfortunately already married to Menelaus, king of Sparta.

The selection of this scene for this vase would have been deliberate by the painter or his patron and would have sent a message to the viewer relevant to the social or political situation at the time.

This vase was painted (around 520 B.C.E.). At this time the Athenian tyrant Peisistratus had recently died, and Athens was continuing to enjoy a relatively stable and prosperous period ruled by his sons. The selection of this scene could be a subtle endorsement of some of the trends and policies which characterised the rule of Peisistratus.

1. The region of Attica had become increasingly unified culturally and economically, like the heroic days when the Greek states combined to vanquish the Trojans,
2. Peisistratus was known for championing the poor and lower classes of Athens and reducing the power and influence of the aristocracy. The “Judgement of Paris” highlights the self-indulgent choice of Paris as the cause of the Trojan War. It references not only his personal flaw, but by extension could be seen as an indictment of the aristocracy.
3. There had been a concerted attempt to produce a definitive version of the Homeric epics (The Iliad and The Odyssey). The “Judgement of Paris” was the cause of the Trojan War – the basis of the Homeric epics.