Author: Daniel WeberPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
ABSTRACT: A significant number of bronze mirrors produced by the Etruscans are engraved on their nonreflecting sides, often with scenes illustrating Greek myths. Numerous Hellenistic mirrors present the viewer with a four-figure scene of gods and heroes who can be identified either by Etruscan inscriptions or by their attributes. The Dioskouroi, or Castor and Polydeuces, became popular mythological characters in Etruria and their presence amid the figures in four-figure mirror compositions dating from the fourth and third centuries B.C. is particularly extensive. This study assembles a catalogue of 123 four-figure Dioskouroi conversation mirrors and analyzes their types and iconographical predecessors in an attempt to identify the figures and their meaning. It examines the iconographical tradition associated with the ancient Greek cult of the Dioskouroi, which was adopted by the Etruscans, using literary and archaeological evidence. It traces the cult from its birthplace in Sparta to the Greek colonists of Magna Graecia and eventually to the native Etruscans. The extent to which the Dioskouroi were meaningful to the Etruscans as a decorative motif for bronze mirrors is addressed within the context of the use of these objects. The Judgment of Paris, a popular fourth-century scene on Etruscan mirrors, will be presented as a possible prototype for the four-figure Dioskouroi conversation mirror composition. Lastly, Adobe Photoshop's layering capabilities are employed to adduce evidence supporting the circulation of artists' pattern books illustrating Greek myths among Etruscan mirror workshops.
