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Source Description
Objects seen in nature can be abbreviated into patterns and motifs that still evoke the whole. Three spiraling tentacles signify the paper nautilus (argonauta argo), a type of octopus; the motif is repeated three times around the body of the jug. The row of curving brown petals at the neck of the vessel mimics the unusual papery shell of the creature in shape and color, giving the illusion that the jug is the shell from which the tentacles emerge. The names for the octopus (nautilus and argonaut) are related to Greek terms for “sailor,” and in his treatise on animals (Historia Animalium), the late Classical philosopher Aristotle described the thin shell of this octopus as a boat, with tentacles as oars and sails.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
3589
label
Long-Beaked Jug with Paper Nautilus
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
3589
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Long-Beaked Jug with Paper Nautilus
description
Objects seen in nature can be abbreviated into patterns and motifs that still evoke the whole. Three spiraling tentacles signify the paper nautilus (argonauta argo), a type of octopus; the motif is repeated three times around the body of the jug. The row of curving brown petals at the neck of the vessel mimics the unusual papery shell of the creature in shape and color, giving the illusion that the jug is the shell from which the tentacles emerge. The names for the octopus (nautilus and argonaut) are related to Greek terms for “sailor,” and in his treatise on animals (Historia Animalium), the late Classical philosopher Aristotle described the thin shell of this octopus as a boat, with tentacles as oars and sails.
provenance
Robert Hecht, Jr., Maryland, 1957; Hesperia Art [firm of Robert Hecht, Jr.], Philadelphia, 1957 [Hesperia Art, III, no. 88]; Walters Art Museum, 1957, by purchase.
date
1420-1370 BCE (Late Helladic IIIA1)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
jugs
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
26.7
height
24.1
dimensionsRaw
H: 10 1/2 x W: 9 1/2 in. (26.7 x 24.1 cm)
Source extras
cul
Mycenaean
med
terracotta; glazed
creator_ids
4078
collection_ids
GRC
exhibition_ids
2507
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
aee70dc61665ec74
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
0e229ef32e325d09
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
9e6bf1164f6471b5
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no