Tomb of the Nereid
The grave of Nereid is a grave from around 350/340 BC. BC, the remains of which were found in the Vannullo necropolis near Paestum , today Capaccio , province of Salerno , and were identified as grave no.2 during the excavation. You are now in the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum . The four painted stone slabs that formed the walls of the burial chamber have inventory numbers 31708 to 31711. The slabs on the long sides are 105 cm high and 218 cm long; the pentagonal panels on the narrow sides are 135 cm high and 97 cm wide. According to Bernard Andreae , it is a man's grave.
painting
The name of the grave is the representation of a nereid on one of the gable plates. Until the preparation of the exhibition of the burial chamber in Germany in 2007, it was assumed that this slab was on the western side of the grave, now it is assigned to the eastern end of the grave. A tendril-like ornament can still be seen in the gable; the painting in the rectangular image field shows a female figure clad in a long, yellowish robe, who is riding a sea creature in the lady's seat. This hippocampus , like its counterpart from the grave of the mourning women, has the front body of a bridled horse and a curved fish tail. From the red crossbar that closes the top of the field of view, a tania hangs down to the right above this fishtail . Red and black brush dabs form the background. However, almost half of the rectangular plate part is taken up by the red-brown field with which the lower part of the plates is filled. The rider points down with the index finger of her right hand. She propped her left arm on the edge of a shield. Andreae interprets the scene as follows: “Since it is a man's grave, this Nereid cannot be the deceased herself, but she guides the deceased knight, whose shield she carries, across the sea to the islands of the blessed . With the outstretched right index finger she seems to show the way ”.
The second gable slab is badly damaged. It showed the motif of the returning knight who is received by his wife.
Scenes from the funeral games are depicted on the longitudinal panels, which in turn have the different colored brush dabs as a background, apparently not framed by a stand line. The processing of the chariot race motif is a specialty: only two horses, a black horse and a fox pull the front car. In relation to the horses, the handlebar, bent back and turning his head to face the quadriga following him , is abnormally tall; perhaps this is one of the reasons why he is shown standing in the carriage with his knees bent. Behind the Biga there is not the column that is found on many similar tomb paintings as a picture decoration, but again only a tänie hanging from the upper crossbeam. The horses of the following quadriga are shown staggered like the grave of the piebald , so that the entire front body of each animal can be recognized. As with the grave of the piebald, these four horses move in lockstep or are all in the same phase of their gallop. The representation of the wagon, which, in contrast to the four draft animals, is shown diagonally from the front and whose wheels can therefore both be seen, also corresponds to the picture from the grave of the piebald. Unlike there, however, the horses' heads are shown in different positions; only three of the animals look to the left, in the direction in which they are running, the right pole horse, a fox, turns its head back.
Another difference compared to otherwise comparable tomb paintings from Paestan graves is the fact that the figures are largely dispensed with using outlines without filler color: this technique was used to depict the light-skinned nereid on the gable plate and her mount; however, the male figures are all made in skin colors. The horses of the chariot race are also colored; the quadriga is drawn by two black horses as companion horses and the fox and a falcon as pole horses. Only the hooves and parts of the faces are represented by outlines and kept in the color of the painting background.
This is also repeated on the other longitudinal panel, which, without any structuring elements such as columns or plants, shows the boxing fight scene between two naked men, one of whom is dark-skinned, on the left. In contrast to numerous other tomb paintings from Paestum, they are not cheered on or accompanied by a flute player. On the right side of the plate, two men, naked but protected by helmets and shields, are fighting against each other; the referee, watching the scene from the right, holds a wreath in one hand and raises the other.
Grave goods
The grave of the Nereid was furnished with numerous grave goods. These included several vessels:
An oinochoe with inventory number 31714 of the museum in Paestum shows a red-figure painting from the Asteas Python workshop of a satyr dancing in front of a small house altar , holding a string of pearls and a wreath in one hand and a thyrsos staff in the other . An egg stick adorns the neck of the 20 cm high vessel .
The red-figure lekythos from the same workshop that bears inventory number 31712 is also decorated with a satyr . He walks to the right with a branch in hand. The vessel is 23.2 cm high and decorated with a tongue stick on the neck .
Another vessel from the workshop of the Assteas python was given to the buried in the grave of the Nereid, a 15.5 cm high lekythos with a siren turned to the left in front of a pillar on the belly . The vessel bears the inventory number 31713.
A red-figure fish plate (inventory number 31716) was also added to the grave, with a diameter of 22 cm and a height of 5.6 cm. Decorated with a wave motif on the outside, the interior depicts three fish, including a ray .
A red-figure kylix , which was given the inventory number 31717, is in Tondo the wine god Dionysus , sitting on a rock, holding a thyrsus. With his right hand he presents a plate of eggs. In front of him on the left is a young satyr on a tendril, who is also holding a thyrsus and an egg. A grapevine fills the background, below the scene there is a zigzag band with a palmette between two rosettes, the depiction is surrounded by a tendril ornament made of ivy and wine. The outside of the vessel is decorated with another tendril ornament.
There was also a black-varnished patera in the Nereid's grave , with four stamped ivy leaves on the tondo. It bears the inventory number 31715.
In addition to the vessels, traces of armor and clothing were also found in the tomb of the Nereid. The remains of a bronze belt are still 29 cm long and 9.2 cm wide. A second piece of a bronze belt is 43 cm long and 8.7 cm wide. The two remains of the belt bear the inventory numbers 31718 and 31719; the 41 cm long remnant of a bronze javelin was given the number 31720 and a 17 cm long and 4.5 cm wide part of an iron knife was given the number 31721.
literature
- Bernard Andreae et al. a .: painting for eternity. The tombs of Paestum. Exhibition at the Bucerius Kunst Forum , Hamburg, October 13, 2007 to January 20, 2008. Hirmer, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7774-3745-3 , pp. 104–111 and updates (loose sheet).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernard Andreae et al. a .: painting for eternity. The tombs of Paestum. Exhibition Bucerius Kunst Forum Hamburg, October 13, 2007 to January 20, 2008. Hirmer, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7774-3745-3 , pp. 104–111, here p. 104
- ↑ Bernard Andreae et al. a .: painting for eternity. The tombs of Paestum. Exhibition Bucerius Kunst Forum Hamburg, October 13, 2007 to January 20, 2008. Hirmer, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7774-3745-3 , pp. 104–111, here p. 104