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Download Abstract - Swedish Institute at Athens
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CarolynM.Laferrière TheSwedishInstituteatAthens,GreekReligionSeminar TheEphemeralMuse: RitualContextandAestheticsinFifth-CenturyAthenianVase-Painting Responsibleforimpartingpoetic,musical,andartisticinspirationtomankind,the Museswereintimatelyinvolvedinthecreativelivesoftheirhumanworshippers. Surprisingly,despitetheirimportancefortheculturallifeofAthens,itisdifficulttoidentify theMusesinthesurvivingblackandred-figurevase-paintingfromtheArchaicand Classicalperiods,sincethevisualmaterialmakeslittledistinctionamongAtheniancitizen woman,hetaira,anddivineMuse.Previousscholarshiphastakenaniconographic approachtodistinguishtheMusesfromtheseotherwomen,butitremainsuncertain whethertheidentificationsproposedforspecificfigurescanbesecurelymade. Ratherthanregardingthedistinctionamongthesefemalefigures’identitiesasa problem,Iinsteadclaimthattheuncertaintyoftheiridentificationcommunicatesan essentialaspectoftheMuses’divinity.Inthispaper,Iexplorehowthevisualeffectand religioussignificanceoftheMuses’consistentlyelusivedepictionmayhaveaffectedan AthenianviewerinthefifthcenturyBCE.Toexplainthesignificanceofthelayeringof identitiesinherenttotheimageoftheMuse,ItakeacalyxkraterbythePhialePainteras paradigmatic,emphasizingthemusicalandritualcontextinwhichtheobjectcouldhave appeared,namely,thesymposium.Bysituatingthisandothersympoticvesselswithinthis evocativecontextfilledwithmusicanddance,thevisualconflationofAthenianwoman, hetaira,andMusesuggeststhatthegoddessescouldmanifestamongtheparticipantsinthe symposium,readytoimpartmusicalinspirationtothemenandwomenpresent.
