Attic Red-Figure Cup

A reveler dances away the night, holding onto his cup with one hand and his walking stick with the other. Many Greek vases, especially elaborate cups, were designed for use at symposia or drinking parties. Therefore, vase-painters frequently decorated these vessels with scenes of revelry and drinking. Consuming the wine in the cup revealed the joyous dancer at its bottom. The circular area or tondo on the interior of a cup presented a compositional problem for Greek vase-painters. It was difficult to place upright figures in this limited, curving space. Some artists placed decidedly linear figures in the circular space or drew a line across the circle in order to create an artificial ground-line for their figures. Others, like the artist Makron on this cup, clearly were trying to work out innovative compositions. By means of carefully positioned limbs, he managed to give the dancing reveler an almost circular outline, echoing its frame.