Madonna and Child paintings by Botticelli and Raphael in Berlin

This post is about Madonna and Child paintings by Raphael and Botticelli in Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie.

Raphael, Madonna with Child, St. John and a Child Saint (Madonna Terranuova)

Raphael, Madonna with Child, St. John and a Child Saint (Madonna Terranuova), ca. 1505, oil on poplar © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie. Photo N. Moropoulos

Of the five paintings of the Virgin Mary by Raphael owned by the Gemäldegalerie, the Madonna Terranuova (named for the collection from which it was acquired), which dates from circa 1505, and hence from the beginning of the artist’s Florentine period, is the largest and most monumental panel, and the only one in tondo form.

Together with the Madonna Connestabile (Saint Petersburg, Hermitage), which dates from 1504, it is one of Raphael’s earliest paintings in this format. It can be traced to an earlier pen-and-ink drawing by Raphael (Lille) from the earlier Umbrian period, which shows the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child with the young John the Baptist; here they are flanked by two background figures: an angel (Michael) and Saint Joseph. In the drawing, then, there was no space for a landscape. The drawing was later cut down, becoming semicircular above, and a large section is missing on the lower right, which originally showed the Christ Child’s legs, the Virgin’s lower left arm, and Joseph’s hand. Researchers regarded a contemporary copy of the drawing now in Berlin as preserving the original, pristine condition of the compositional drawing in Lille, but the differences between the two should not be overlooked.

In the Berlin drawing, the Virgin’s lower left arm emerges from her cloak, the hand open, in a way that resembles the painting. In the Lille drawing, in contrast, the cloak does not conceal Mary’s now visible upper arm. Similar deviations are noticeable with regard to Joseph’s hands. Given the deviations in the Berlin copy in relation to the original drawing, it cannot be simply assumed that the Berlin version reflects the missing parts of the original drawing in Lille. Instead, the Berlin drawing probably represents a different stage of compositional development, or may be a variant from the hand of an unknown Umbrian artist. A fragment of the cartoon showing the head of the Virgin is found in the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett (my note: see below). The pictorial conception corresponds to an Umbrian compositional schema dating from the late 15th century, one adopted by Raphael from Perugino (1493; Paris, Musée du Louvre) and adapted in the early Berlin panel (1502; no. 145).

After deciding to use the tondo form for the Madonna Terranuova, he omitted the flanking saints, which must now have seemed to him old-fashioned, dividing the background of the composition horizontally precisely at the lateral axis into a lower half, which is covered by a balustrade, and an upper half, which displays a landscape with an expansive sky, against which the head and shoulder contours of the Virgin are set off sharply. By juxtaposing the infant John the Baptist on the left with the figure of another, half-nude boy with halo on the right as a counterpart,

Raphael creates the type of pyramidal or triangular composition he would often use subsequently. Noticeable in the soft sfumato, the extroverted gestures, and the developed spatiality is the influence of Leonardo da Vinci, who had returned to Florence from Milan in 1503. His art made a deep impression on Raphael, who borrowed the motif of the Virgin’s gracefully outstretched left hand from Leonardo’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder (1501 ; the best version, possibly an original, is owned by the Duke of Buccleuch).

Raphael introduces this motif only during a later working stage. Infrared reflectography shows the initial preliminary drawing of the left-hand. It “was supposed to rest on the thigh, gently supporting the foot of the child” (J. Meyer zur Capellen 1994)| 200 Masterpieces of European Painting – Gemaldegalerie Berlin, 2019).

Head of the “Madonna Terranuova” (fragment of the cardboard), drawing, around 1505. Black pencil, heightened with white, stippled, on paper.

Despite the badly damaged, even fragmentary state of preservation, the outstanding quality of this drawing cannot be overlooked. The draughtsman created the tilted head of a young woman of particular delicacy with a black pen. This is an original-size drawing (a so-called cartoon), which apparently served to transfer this head to the picture support when a painting was being executed. This was done mechanically, namely by fingering through the most important lines, which also explains why the paper has suffered so much. Nonetheless, it is in the hand of Raphael, as it depicts the head of the so-called Madonna Terranuova (so named after the collection from which it was acquired), now housed in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie. (DK 2019)

Raphael, Mary with the Child / Madonna Solly, painting, around 1500/1502

Raphael, Mary with the Child / Madonna Solly, around 1500/1502. Credit: National Museums in Berlin, Picture Gallery / Christoph Schmidt

In Raphael’s picture, the child’s head turn and line of sight are newly motivated by the book that Maria is holding out to him with her right hand and which she is reading herself: the book is the common focus of attention for mother and child. Raphael also follows Perugino’s Umbrian stylistic type of the half-length Madonna in front of a landscape with gentle hill contours that are enlivened by individual trees. But the approach to a psychological penetration and visualization of the interrelationship between mother and child is new, a first achievement of his more modern, more humane conception of art – he varied the motif of the book in a stylistically and temporally related Madonna picture (Los Angeles, Norton Simon Museum of Art ), to which various preliminary drawings refer, which were sometimes erroneously associated (as in the 1931 report) with the Madonna Solly.

A pen drawing by Raphael in the Louvre (no. 1607) is related to the latter. – The bird, which the child holds with a fine cord in the right and left hand, symbolizes the soul (cf. Rubens cat. no. 763) and, as a goldfinch eating thistles and thorns, points to the passion and resurrection of Christ. – A second, contemporary version (1961 in an Italian private collection) was published by Longhi as the original first version”. The latter, however, is merely a copy.* Perhaps the Madonna Dotallevi (Ident. No. 147) is the earliest.

The Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) is considered one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. Countless reproductions have been made of his works, with some creators adding a slant or “modern touch”, resulting in a work that has acquired a momentum and trajectory in its own right. Many of these re-workings are so removed from the originals that Botticelli has become a household name and can be used as a touchstone for fashion and lifestyle without any mention being made of his paintings. Products are named after him, popular-culture personalities allude to his motifs in fashioning their own image, and some of the characters portrayed in his works – particularly his “Venus” – are now firmly embedded in collective awareness.

Installation of the picture gallery in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, room 37, painting by Botticelli photography [1933 – 1939]. Credit: National Museums in Berlin, Central Archive

Sandro Botticelli “Mary with the Child and Singing Angels” (102A).- Sandro Botticelli “Saint Sebastian” (1128).- Sandro Botticelli, workshop “Giuliani de’ Medici” (106B).- Sandro Botticelli, workshop “Profile portrait of a young woman” (106A) Reason: reorganization of the collection

The Virgin and Child with Singing Angels (Raczyński Tondo)” was painted around 1480.

Sandro Botticelli The Virgin and Child with Singing Angels. © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie. Photo N. Moropoulos

Possibly the cyclorama belonged to the brothers of S. Francesco in Florence. Mary is crowned as the queen of heaven, and at the same time she is the compassionate mother of the Christ child destined for sacrifice. He grabs her breast. The nurturing Mary was considered by theologians to be the mother of all people and the giver of salvation. Singing angels praise her, holding lilies as symbols of purity. Just as one always looked for the ideal of earthly female beauty in the face and figure of Mary, so one can see in the angels the embodiment of youthful, harmonious proportions. Botticelli mastered the demanding format with a well thought-out pictorial arrangement that takes up the round of the boundary: the Madonna is enthroned in the center of multiple circling movements.| Prestel Museum Guide – Picture Gallery Berlin, 2017

Below you can see another picture by Botticelli, “Mary with the child and angels carrying candlesticks“painted around 1485/1490, which belonged to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie but is no longer there. Most probably it has been destroyed in May 1945 in the control tower of the anti-aircraft bunker in Berlin’s Friedrichshain..

Sandro Botticelli, Mary with the Child and angels carrying candlesticks – Credit: National Museums in Berlin, Picture Gallery / Gustav Schwarz

Γλυκόξινες Βενετσιάνικες Σαρδέλες (Sarde in Saor)

Ένα φθινοπωρινό μεσημέρι του 2011 γευμάτισα την τρατορία Antica Mola dai Costa. Βρίσκεται επάνω στο Rio della Misericordia (κανάλι του ελέους), στην περιοχή Cannaregio της Βενετίας. Μόλις είχα επισκεφθεί το Ghetto Nuova (Εβραϊκό Γκέτο), που βρίσκεται σε απόσταση λίγων μέτρων, και είναι το πρώτο Εβραϊκό γκέτο στον κόσμο. Συγκροτήθηκε με απόφαση του Δόγη Leonardo Loredan και της Ενετικής Γερουσίας την 29η Μαρτίου 1516. Όλοι οι Εβραίοι της Βενετίας έπρεπε να ζουν στην περικλεισμένη αυτή περιοχή. Το γκέτο διατηρήθηκε μέχρι το 1797, όταν ο Ναπολέων κατέλαβε και κατέλυσε την Δημοκρατία της Βενετίας. Με απόφαση του την 11η Ιουλίου 1797 κατήργησε τον διαχωρισμό του γκέτο από την υπόλοιπη Βενετία. 

Το Εβραϊκό Γκέτο στο Cannaregio. Πηγή: Google Maps

Το τρίτο Σάββατο κάθε Ιουλίου στη Βενετία γίνεται μια μεγάλη γιορτή, πάνω στο μικρό νησάκι Τζιουντέκα. Η γιορτή είναι αφιερωμένη στον Ευλογημένο Λυτρωτή (Santissimo Redentore), που έσωσε την πόλη από την επιδημία πανούκλας του 1575. Η επιδημία κράτησε δύο χρόνια και σκότωσε πάνω από 50,000 κατοίκους. Για να ευχαριστήσουν τον Θεό για την σωτηρία τους, οι Βενετσιάνοι ανέθεσαν στον διάσημο αρχιτέκτονα Αντρέα Παλάντιο (Andrea Palladio) να χτίσει στο μικρό νησάκι Τζιουντέκα μια εκκλησία αφιερωμένη στον Ευλογημένο Λυτρωτή της Γαληνοτάτης.

Ένα από τα πιάτα που σερβίρονται στην γιορτή του Ευλογημένου Λυτρωτή είναι γλυκόξινες σαρδέλες (Sarde in Saor). Η λέξη saor είναι παραφθορά της λέξης sapore στη βενετσιάνικη διάλεκτο και σημαίνει «νοστιμιά». Το πιάτο είναι παραλλαγή του πιάτου ‘Pesce in Saor’, που όπως αναφέρει η Claudia Roden στο βιβλίο της The Book of Jewish Food το μαγείρευαν οι Εβραίοι της Βενετίας την Παρασκευή και το έτρωγαν το Σάββατο. Η παραδοσιακή συνταγή που αναφέρει η Roden είναι παραλλαγή του πορτογαλικού ‘escabeche’, λέξη που προέρχεται από την μεσαιωνική αραβική sikbaj που έχει περσική ρίζα, και σημαίνει «ξινό». Το κύριο συστατικό είναι ψάρι γλώσσα, που μπορούσαν να προμηθευτούν μόνο οι εύποροι κάτοικοι της Βενετίας. Οι φτωχοί το έφτιαχναν με σαρδέλες. Η παρασκευή έχει τρία διακριτά στάδια. Στο πρώτο αλευρώνεται και τηγανίζεται το ψάρι σε φυτικό λάδι χωρίς ιδιαίτερη γεύση. Στο δεύτερο ετοιμάζεται η γλυκόξινη σάλτσα που θα σκεπάσει το ψάρι στο τρίτο στάδιο. Η σάλτσα στη βενετσιάνικη εκδοχή της έχει βάση τα κρεμμύδια. Αρχικά τηγανίζονται μέχρι να μαλακώσουν σε αγνό παρθένο ελαιόλαδο και μετά προστίθεται ξύδι από άσπρο σταφύλι, άσπρο κρασί, σταφίδες και σπόροι κουκουνάρι, αλάτι και πιπέρι, και σιγοβράζουν για 10 λεπτά. Στο τρίτο στάδιο, τα ψάρια τοποθετούνται σε στρώσεις σε ένα δοχείο με ψηλά τοιχώματα. Ανάμεσα σε κάθε στρώση τοποθετείται ολίγο από το μίγμα της σάλτσας. Όταν ολοκληρωθούν οι στρώσεις, συμπληρώνεται το μίγμα με την υπόλοιπη σάλτσα.  Το δοχείο κλείνεται και τοποθετείται στο ψυγείο. Τρώγεται την επομένη.

Sarde in Saor Φωτογραφία Νίκος Μορόπουλος

Η μέθοδος παρασκευής saor εφαρμόζεται και σε κρέατα όπως το κουνέλι. Από την Βενετία διαδόθηκε και στο Βυζάντιο, όπου η σάλτσα ονομάστηκε ‘σαβούρα’, που στη σημερινή παραφθορά της είναι το ΄σαβόρο’. Στην Κρήτη στο σαβόρο προσθέτουν δενδρολίβανο, ενώ στην Κέρκυρα προσθέτουν και ντομάτα.

Το πιάτο που γεύτηκα στην τρατορία ήτανε πιστό στην παραδοσιακή συνταγή. Νομίζω ότι η τρυφερότητα των κρεμμυδιών είναι σημαντικό κριτήριο επιτυχίας του πιάτου. Δεν πρέπει να είναι σκληρά, ούτε όμως και να λιώνουν, γιατί όλες οι άλλες υφές στο πιάτο είναι τρυφερές και κρεμώδεις. Το άλλο κρίσιμο χαρακτηριστικό είναι η ισορροπία ανάμεσα στο ξινό και το γλυκό. Όπως σε τόσα άλλα μαγειρικά εγχειρήματα, και εδώ χρειάζεται εμπειρία, ώστε το πιάτο να βγαίνει σωστό κάθε φορά. Όσες επιθυμούν μια πιο ελαφρά εκδοχή του πιάτου, μπορούν να ψήσουν τις σαρδέλες στο φούρνο, προσέχοντας να μην διαλυθούν.

Toscana!

Pictures from a trip in Tuscany.

Photos by Nikolaos Moropoulos

Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos
Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos
Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos
Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos
Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos
Toscana, Photo by Nikolaos Moropoulos

Venezia!

Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos
Venezia, Photo: Nikolaos Moropoulos

Florence, 4 November 1966

This is a photo of the Filistrucchi shop and studio in Via Giuseppe Verdi 9 in Florence, which opened its doors in 1720. I took it in 2006.

Florence, Italy, Photo by N. Moropoulos

In Italy they use the word “bottega” for a studio of a master artist, in which lesser artists, apprentices, or students learn by participating in the work.

Bottega Filistrucchi is a place for the production of wigs, prosthetics and masks, and also a workshop accredited by the Tuscany Region (BS0983) for the training of students in the field of theatrical make-up and the production of masks. A place where one can learn the traditional craft.
There are two windows in the photo. One is open, the other is closed. On the left side of the open window there is an inscription. Until today I had not read it. Today I did.

Here is the detail of the photo.

Florence, Italy – Detail, Photo by N. Moropoulos

The inscription reads:

“Il 4 Novembre 1966

Qui arrive l’ aqua dell’ Arno”

4 November 1966

The Arno waters have reached here

Arno is the river that crosses Florence. You can see it on the lower left side of the map. The bottega is on the upper left side, marked with a red ellipse. the famous Florentine Bridge, Ponte Vecchio, is marked with a blue ellipse on the lower left side.

Detail of Florence – Google Maps

Fifteen years after I took the photo, I managed to spot a detail that tells a story. Better late than never.

Isola Dovarese, Cremona, Italia

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Isola Dovarese, Municipio

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Isola Dovarese, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti

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Isola Dovarese, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti

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Isola Dovarese, Cooperativa

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Isola Dovarese, Biker

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Isola Dovarese, the dining area of Caffe La Crepa

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Isola Dovarese, River Oglio

 

A mistake may become an opportunity – Ένα λάθος είναι και μια ευκαιρία

Στην Γιαπωνέζικη κουλτούρα τα λάθη δεν επιτρέπονται. Ένα λάθος είναι ατιμωτικό, και αν μάλιστα είναι σοβαρό, μπορεί να αποτελέσει αιτία για αυτοχειρία. Η απώλεια της ζωής είναι μια λύση στο αδιέξοδο της ατίμωσης που επέρχεται από τις συνέπειες του λάθους.

Σε μια τέτοια θέση βρέθηκε μια μέρα ο Taka (Takahiko) Kondo, όταν ήτανε έτοιμος να σερβίρει μαζί με το αφεντικό του, δύο τάρτες λεμονιού στο εστιατόριο που δούλευε. Ήτανε το τέλος της βάρδιας, και οι δύο τάρτες ήτανε τα τελευταία πιάτα που θα σερβίριζαν εκείνο το βράδι.

Καθώς ο Γιαπωνέζος μάγειρας σήκωσε το ένα πιάτο για να το μεταφέρει, του έφυγε από το χέρι και κατέπεσε ανάμεσα στο πάσο σερβιρίσματος και τον πάγκο που βρισκόταν από κάτω. Η μισή τάρτα έμεινε στο πάσο και η άλλη μισή προσγειώθηκε στον πάγκο εργασίας.

Άναυδος και τρέμοντας από την ταραχή, έστρεψε το βλέμμα στο αφεντικό του που κοίταζε την τεμαχισμένη τάρτα χωρίς όμως να λέει κάτι. Αυτό κράτησε κλάσματα του δευτερολέπτου, που όμως φάνηκαν ώρες πολλές.

lemon_tart.jpg

«Στάσου!»  Φώναξε το αφεντικό. «Μην ακουμπάς την τάρτα!» είπε στον Τάκα, και συνέχισε να κοιτάζει την θρυμματισμένη τάρτα.

Χωρίς άλλα λόγια, πήρε ένα άδειο πιάτο, σκόρπισε επάνω απλόχερα το ζαμπαγιόν (τη γέμιση της τάρτας) και επάνω στο κρεμώδες χάος θρυμμάτισε το κέλυφος μιας άδειας τάρτας. Προσέθεσε λίγα καλούδια και γυρίζοντας προς τον Τάκα του είπε: «Σου παρουσιάζω το καινούργιο μας πιάτο: ‘ Ώπα! Μου έπεσε η τάρτα λεμονιού!΄»

Το δίδαγμα από την ιστορία είναι ότι ένα λάθος είναι και μια ευκαιρία. Μπορεί να γεννήσει κάτι καινούργιο, μπορεί να μας δώσει μια ευκαιρία να δούμε τον κόσμο διαφορετικά.

Πριν συνεχίσω όμως, πρέπει να αποκαλύψω την πλήρη εικόνα της ιστορίας.

Ο σεφ και αφεντικό του Τάκα είναι ο Massimo Bottura, που έχει τρία αστέρια Μισελέν, και το εστιατόριο είναι η  OSTERIA FRANCESCANA, στη Μόντενα της Ιταλίας. Ο Τάκα ήταν εκείνη την εποχή σου σεφ (αναπληρωτής σεφ) στο εστιατόριο.

Ο Μποτούρα είναι ένας από τους κορυφαίους σεφ του κόσμου, και θεωρείται αυτός που επανεφηύρε την Ιταλική Κουζίνα, αυτός που την έφερε στον 21ο αιώνα.

Στο επεισόδιο με την τάρτα, ο Μποτούρα βρήκε την ευκαιρία να δημιουργήσει ένα νέο πιάτο, αλλά βλέπει το όλο θέμα και γενικότερα. «Ανοίξτε χώρο για την ποίηση στην καθημερινότητα σας. Χάρη σε αυτήν μπορείτε να γονιμοποιήσετε την φαντασία σας.» , ανέφερε σχετικά ο σεφ.

Υπάρχει όμως και μια άλλη διάσταση, αυτή που αμφισβητεί το τέλειο. Το πιάτο αυτό ανοίγει την πόρτα στο ατελές, με την έννοια ότι στερείται τελειότητας. Η ατέλεια του πιάτου όμως δεν το καθιστά λιγότερο νόστιμο. Με τον τρόπο του ο Μποτούρα σχολιάζει με ανατρεπτικό τρόπο όλη την κουλτούρα του «τέλειου» πιάτου, που είναι πολύ δημοφιλής στον γαστρονομικό κόσμο.

Το πιάτο είναι σήμερα ένα από τα «πιάτα με υπογραφή» του Μποτούρα, και ολοκληρώνει ένα γαστρονομικό μενού με επτά πιάτα. Αποτελεί «γέφυρα» ανάμεσα στο γλυκό και το αλμυρό, και περιέχει ανάμεσα σε άλλα, περγαμόντο από την Καλαβρία, λεμόνι από το Σορέντο, κρέμα μέντας, αμύγδαλα και κάπαρη από άλλες  περιοχές της Ιταλίας.

A cup of the Boscoreale treasure

Epicurus was an Athenian philosopher who lived from 341 to 270 BC.

After his death some of his followers traveled to Rome, found champions of Epicureanism there, and set up Epicurean societies. Epicurean philosophy became very popular among the highly educated and intellectually oriented Romans.

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Epicurus

A prominent Epicurean School was established in Naples, initially directed by Siro.  It was there that a community of Epicureans flourished.

When it comes to the world of ideas and how they apply to everyday life, one needs to ask whether philosophical discourse is contained and restricted in the discussions of the school, the community, a group of friends. Of course we would not expect all people to be engaged in the discussion, but it is interesting to establish the degree to which these discussions have an impact on everyday life.

Today’s post is about one artifact that provide an indication that the presence of the Epicureans in the area of Naples was known to wider circles and was on occasion a topic of satire and humor.  

 

In 1895, excavations at a Roman villa at Boscoreale on the slopes of Vesuvius unearthed a remarkable hoard of silver treasure, including 109 items of tableware, which the owner had stashed in a wine tank prior to the eruption that buried the region of Naples in AD 79. This prestigious collection, dating from between the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD, testifies to one of the finest periods in Roman silverware and reflects the taste of wealthy Campanians for drinking cups with relief decoration.(1)

Among the cups, sixteen in number, two are especially noteworthy. They are four inches high, and form a pair; they are ornamented with skeletons in high relief, so grouped that each cup presents four scenes satirizing human life and its interpretation in poetry and philosophy. (2)

These two silver cups, famous for their strange decoration, are embellished with gold. They formed a pair of modioli (from the Latin, meaning “small measures”), so called because their shape is reminiscent of the modius, a container used to measure wheat. A Latin inscription on the base of one of the cups gives their weight and the name of their owner, Gavia. (1)

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The scenes from one of the two cups of poetry and philosophy

One of the two cups depicts two prominent Hellenistic philosophers, Epicurus and Zeno. 

On the left side of the picture above we have two skeletons engaged in a mute dialogue. The skeletons are the two philosophers, who were known for their deep differences.

At the left the Stoic Zeno appears, standing stiffly with his philosopher’s staff in his left hand, his wallet hanging from his neck; with right hand extended he points the index finger in indignation and scorn at Epicurus, who, paying no heed to him, is taking a piece of a huge cake lying on the top of a small round table. Beside Epicurus an eager pig with snout and left foreleg uplifted is demanding a share. Over the cake is the inscription: τὸ τέλος ἡδονή, ‘the goal of life is pleasure.’ The letters of the inscription, as of the names of the philosophers, are too small to be shown distinctly in our illustration.(2)

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Zeno of Citius was a Greek philosopher (334-262 BC) who stood opposite to Epicurus. He founded the Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from around 300 BC. Zeno believed that pleasure is a vice. Stoicism became the foremost popular philosophy among the educated elite in the Hellenistic world and the Roman Empire.

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Bronze piglet from a villa in Hercolanum

A few words about the piglet are in order.

Epicureans were likened to pigs by many of opposing views, in order to denigrate the principal Epicurean view that the goal of life is pleasure. This has been documented by the Roman poet Horace.  

In an epistle addressed to his melancholy friend and fellow poet, Albius Tibullus, Horace wrote: (3) 

Treat every day that dawns for you as the last.
The hour that’s unhoped for will be welcome when it comes.
When you want to smile then visit me: sleek, and fat
I’m a hog, well cared-for, one of Epicurus’ herd.

The bronze piglet we see above is in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, and was found in the Villa of Papyri in Herculaneum, where it supposedly partnered Epicurus’ bust. 

In my view the presence of the piglet on the cup is fully justified by the association of Epicureans with pigs. It is quite interesting to note the humorous aspect of the depiction.  

The two cups have similar and complementary repoussé decoration depicting the skeletons of tragic and comic poets and famous Greek philosophers, beneath a garland of roses. Greek inscriptions engraved in dots form captions, and are accompanied by Epicurean maxims such as: “Enjoy life while you can, for tomorrow is uncertain.” (1)

Drinking cups like these were used at the verbal sparring matches held at Roman banquets. As at Trimalchio’s feast (described by Petronius in the Satyricon), the guests sought to outdo each other in erudition, using Greek philosophical and literary references to promote sensual and intellectual pleasures. The choice of a ring of skeletons to decorate these modioli is neither macabre nor particularly surprising, but is on the contrary a hymn to life—an incitement to enjoy the present. This same theme is often represented—admittedly with less panache—on everyday items such as earthenware goblets, lamps, mosaics, or funerary monuments. Trimalchio himself had articulated silver skeletons placed on the table for his guests (Satyricon, 34, 8-10), reminding them that humans should be humble, as even the most enlightened poet or philosopher cannot avoid death.(1)

Both cups had evidently long been in use; there are still some traces of gilding, which, however, seems not to have been applied to the skeletons. While the explanatory inscriptions are in Greek, a Latin name, Gavia, is inscribed on the under side of the second cup, in the same kind of letters as the record of weight. The Gavii were a family of some prominence at Pompeii; we are perhaps warranted in concluding that the cups were made by a Greek for this Pompeian lady, and that afterward they came into the possession of another lady, Maxima, who formed the collection.(2)

After looking at the cup with the two philosophers we can clearly assume that the philosophical dialogue between Stoics and Epicureans was conducted out in the open and was an item of discussion and satire among the wealthy.

References

(1) Boscoreale Treasure, Louvre Museum, Paris, France

(2) Pompeii, Its Life and Art, by August Mau

(3) Epicurean Happiness: A Pig’s Life?  David Konstan. Journal of Ancient Philosophy Vol. VI 2012 Issue 1