#eye-cup

Eye-cup with Dionysus by Execias (540-530 BC)

This vase is a kylix, a cup they used for drinking wine in symposium. Having this in mind, it's no surprise it depicts Dionysus in it! What fits more to a symposium and can easily provoke relevant discussions than the god of wine and fun himself?

According to the myth, Dionysus was kidnapped by pirates who thought he was some kind of a prince... well, they should have wished he was, because Dionysus got angry and punished them in a way only a god can. He transformed them into dolphins and turned the ship's ropes to vine leaves. So, he freed himself. The myth shows the intoxication's dominance over the pirate's greed or any difficulty in life. In essense, going a bit out of yourself and have fun can positively affect your life.

In the cup's interior, Dionysus is having fun after he has taken control of the ship. The pirates are swimming as dolphins next to him and vine leaves with grapes are popping out of the ship. Dionysus holds the cornucopia which symbolizes abundace and nourishment. Something significant about this tondo is the intense red color of the background, which is produced by a special technique.

As for the cup's outside surface, it's the first known eye-cup. Eyebrows, eyes and a nose are painted, while the bottom's hole looks like an open mouth and the handles like ears. So, when somebody drinks wine with this cup, he raises it and it's like he's making a grimace causing the laughter of his banqueters. The eyes also have an apotropaic role, which means they avert evil.

It was found as a grave good in an etruscan chamber tomb in Vulci. This kind of eye-cups were popular in Italy thanks to the increasing trading relations.