The Greek collection is organised around a remarkable group of vases. They are arranged chronologically from the Neolithic period to the time of the Hellenistic rulers. These utilitarian objects (wine service, jewellery boxes, funerary offerings, etc.) are often decorated with figures evoking the military activity of citizens, camaraderie and drinking at the symposium, marriage or the life of women in the gynecary. The procession of Greek gods and heroes, from Athena to Zeus, including Heracles or Theseus fighting the Minotaur, can also be seen.
The begin
The first section presents a panorama of the societies that have developed on the island of Cyprus over the centuries. At the same time, the most ancient cultures that developed on Greek soil are revealed: Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean arts. The birth of the Greek city and its development during the geometric, orientalist and archaic periods (-8th-6th century) are then discovered in different cities and regions (Athens, Corinth, Sparta, Boeotia, Ionia...)
Archaic and classical Athens
The vases made in Athens in the -6th and -5th centuries take pride of place, with famous pieces such as the canthara of Douris or the stamnos of Smikros. They are grouped by theme while respecting the chronology. The utensils of the banquet and its progress are evoked at length. The images on the vases bring the Athenians to life before our eyes: the men hunt, practice sports and war, the women discuss, make themselves beautiful and look after the children. When a family member dies, the deceased is laid on a funeral bed, surrounded by mourners, and greeted by his or her relatives. The body is...
The vases made in Athens in the -6th and -5th centuries take pride of place, with famous pieces such as the canthara of Douris or the stamnos of Smikros. They are grouped by theme while respecting the chronology. The utensils of the banquet and its progress are evoked at length. The images on the vases bring the Athenians to life before our eyes: the men hunt, practice sports and war, the women discuss, make themselves beautiful and look after the children. When a family member dies, the deceased is laid on a funeral bed, surrounded by mourners, and greeted by his or her relatives. The body is then taken to the necropolis and either buried or cremated to be buried in a container. It is placed in the ground with various objects that are sometimes ritually destroyed. The grave is marked by a monument. Funerary slabs, vases, marble steles, and terracotta tiles are used to evoke complex rituals.
Southern Italy
The Greek cities of southern Italy adopted the Attic technique of the red figure, while adapting it. Regional styles developed, mixing Greek and local contributions, as well as rich and refined cultures such as that of Taranto. One of the masterpieces in the Museum's collection comes from Apulia: the crater representing the apotheosis of Heracles.
The Hellenistic period
During the Hellenistic period, stone, glass and ceramic objects bear witness to the new sensibilities that were developing in the eastern Mediterranean basin. The bronze and terracotta figurines illustrate new perceptions of the human being through a wide variety of representations of the body (ideal, deformed, etc.). A special place is devoted to the Greek kingdom of Egypt, over which the Ptolemies reigned from their capital, Alexandria.
Contact
Natacha Massar
n.massar@kmkg-mrah.be