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Many cultures around the world have produced painted pottery, decorated with images of their gods and heroes, historic events and figures, and scenes from daily life. However, Picture Worlds at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles brings together a selection of these objects from three civilisations that stand out for their depictions of complex narrative scenes on ceramic vessels: the ancient Greeks (Archaic and Classical periods, 700-323 BC), the Maya of central America (Late Classic period, AD 550-850), and the Moche of northern Peru (Early Intermediate period and Middle Horizon, AD 200-850). The juxtaposition of these three unconnected cultures may seem like a strange choice, but they are all producers of some of the finest painted pottery in the world. David Saunders, associate curator of antiquities at the Getty Villa Museum, hopes that ‘by putting the three side-by-side, we can invite new questions and perspectives’, thereby advancing visitors’ understanding of each of these cultures individually, as well as examining the idea of ceramic vessels as narrative devices and inherently social objects.
Show and tell
When asked about the title of the exhibition, David explains that the concept of ‘picture worlds’ is inspired by the idea that ‘each pot… is a little universe of narrative potential’. Decorated ceramics had a variety of functions: for drinking and feasting, in ritual activities and offerings, as gifts, trade objects, or funerary deposits. In some cases, one pot would inhabit several of these roles in its lifetime. Almost universally, though, these were settings where stories were being told. Megan E O’Neil, associate professor of art history at Emory University and co-curator of the exhibition, says, ‘in their ancient contexts painted ceramic vessels would have served as openers for conversation, storytelling, and other types of social interaction, and today offer us extraordinary glimpses into these three ancient societies’.
One example of an object that may have sparked multiple conversations in different contexts is a Greek red-figure krater depicting the hero Theseus greeting his divine father, Poseidon. The vessel, which was probably intended for mixing wine at a symposium, was created at a time when Athens had just established the Delian League – a new naval alliance to protect the Greeks from the Persians – making the representation of the Athenian hero and his close relationship with the god of the sea particularly meaningful. This mixing bowl may have sat at the heart of a gathering of Athenian men, potentially inspiring discussions among the drinkers about both ancient mythology and current affairs. Later, though, the same krater was exported to Italy, and was ultimately placed in a woman’s tomb in Apulia, in south-eastern Italy. In this context, the scene depicted may have taken on an entirely different meaning: there, the depiction of a brave hero being welcomed by a god in the watery depths may have been intended to offer comfort in the face of death.
Although interpretations of the images on painted pottery could vary – as could the ways in which the artists chose to represent them – many of the stories shown would have been familiar to audiences at the time. However, interpreting these narratives poses a greater challenge for modern viewers, who often lack the necessary contextual knowledge. For ancient Greek ceramics, we not only have identifying inscriptions on a number of vessels, but also both contemporary and later texts featuring stories that match up with scenes frequently depicted on pottery, such as tales of the deities of Mount Olympus, or events from the Trojan War (which were passed down through oral tradition long before they were recorded in texts such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey). With the Maya, inscriptions are also found on some vessels, and while longer texts from the Late Classic period have been lost, we do have more recent literature thought to contain later versions of some of the same narratives. For example, parallels have been drawn between the adventures of two male youths that frequently appear on these Maya ceramics and the tales of the ‘Hero Twins’ that feature in the K’iche’ Maya sacred text Popol Vuh, which was recorded in the 16th century. In contrast, the Moche did not have a writing system, so in order to discern the narrative themes depicted on their pottery we must look for elements like repeated figures and motifs. Some, such as the god nicknamed ‘Wrinkle Face’ and his regular companion ‘Iguana’ appear often: scenes of these figures travelling the earth, sea, and underworld, having adventures, and fighting battles are regularly identified, although the exact stories behind these images are less easily discerned. Others are yet more mysterious, like a stirrup-spout vessel featuring what appear to be pairs of lima bean warriors facing off against each other. Hybrid creatures are a common theme in Moche art, but the reason behind the choice of lima beans, in particular, we can only guess.
Interactive art
As fascinating as the images depicted are, the vessels themselves should not be overlooked. These painted pots are not flat canvases, but dynamic objects intended to be handled: painters often incorporated the vessel’s physical form in their composition of a scene, with new elements revealed as the objects are lifted, rotated, or drunk from; figures are depicted in relief, inviting touch; some even feature elements that create sounds when the pot is moved. ‘And this is even before we get into what these vases might have contained, and the aromatic and stimulating qualities of cacao, wine, and the like,’ notes David. ‘These vessels can be deeply immersive.’
Many of the ceramics on display use the 3D nature of these objects to enhance the viewer’s experience. Depictions of the Maize God feature prominently in Maya painted pottery, but one particularly eye-catching example brings together multiple scenes from the deity’s life, depicting the god at various life stages, including as a baby or young child carried on a mother’s back and as a fully grown adult. In this piece, the artist has leant into the cylindrical shape of the vessel, with speech scrolls leading to inscriptions coming from the mouths of several individuals, and most of the figures facing others. The result, Megan says, is that ‘action and the passage of time are conveyed in many ways, and one has to turn the vessel around and back and forth to follow their interactions’.
A different utilisation of space is seen in a Greek cup that shows multiple scenes from Theseus’ heroic adventures simultaneously, on both the interior and exterior of vessel – almost like a graphic novel – culminating with his defeat of the Minotaur in the centre. In another Greek example, the painter of a red-figure skyphos has made the decision to juxtapose just two scenes, from the very start and end of the Trojan War: on one side, Paris is shown taking Helen, on the other, Menelaos is recovering her after ten years of fighting.
In some cases, the form of the vessel is just as significant as the painted decoration. A common type found in Moche pottery is the stirrup-spout vessel, which may divide the contents of the pot into two streams before bringing them together into one. This embodies a key concept in Moche culture: the idea of two entities coming together or combining into one, which was viewed as a symbolically and spiritually charged event. This is often reflected in the stirrup-spout vessels’ decorations too, which frequently include themes such as combat between two opponents, or sexual intercourse. In another Moche example, made for funerary purposes, the vessel itself takes on the shape of a stern-looking duck, with humanoid hands holding the squared shield and war club typical of Moche warriors. Again, we see the significance of figures with hybrid characteristics in Moche rituals; perhaps in this case the attributes of the Warrior Duck had some significance for the elite individual with whom the vessel was buried at the site of Huaca de la Luna. Regardless, this unusual, finely crafted sculptural bottle attests to both the high status of the deceased and the skills of the artisans who made it.
Picture Worlds brings together a wide variety of pottery from three cultures with entirely distinct cultures of ceramic production, artistic conventions, and beliefs. The result demonstrates the value of examining these objects and their decorations in their own right. They are not static works of art, but living objects made to be seen and interacted with; they are objects that were closely tied to a wide variety of important social events and activities, and particularly to the traditions of storytelling that were integral to all three cultures.
Following its close at the Getty Villa, the exhibition will be on view at the Michael C Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta from 14 September until 15 December 2024. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication co-edited by Saunders and O’Neil: Picture Worlds: storytelling on Greek, Moche, and Maya pottery (Los Angeles: Getty Publications).
Details:
Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, and Moche pottery
Address: Getty Villa Museum, Los Angeles
Open: until 29 July
Website: www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/picture_worlds
Text: Amy Brunskill
