Thursday 11 February 2021

Theseus and the Bull

 Theseus and the Bull

#theseus #bull #Classicalgreekart #greekceramics


A simple elegant vessel but I do feel sorry for the bull who doesnt seem to know what comes next ... I also note the woman pictured is certainly not wearing a veil or a cape. She may possibly be Medea and the old man Theseus' father? 

The Story of Theseus and the Bull is that Theseus was sent to marathon to slay a Bull which he lead back to Athens to be sacrificed.

The story claims the Bull was the white one the father of the Minotaur which Heracles had captured and sent to Tiryns but it broke loose and somehow ended up at Marathon.

If there is any history behind this I suspect the bull was meant to be sent as a tribute to Crete and it was killed as an act of defiance of Minoan power.



No comments:

Post a Comment