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<p>[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 5569845, member: 110350"]I am very much not an expert, but as I understand it, grotesque terracotta figures like mine, often portraying old men, were very popular in Ancient Greece, especially in the Hellenistic period, and have been variously interpreted as being inspired by comic figures on the stage, and/or as having apotropaic functions, and/or as being purely decorative. See the many photographs of such figures in the dissertation entitled "Hellenistic grotesque terracotta figurines, Problems of iconographical interpretation," at <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307776123_Hellenistic_grotesque_terracotta_figurines_Problems_of_iconographical_interpretation/fulltext/5b0859100f7e9b1ed7f55e4a/Hellenistic-grotesque-terracotta-figurines-Problems-of-iconographical-interpretation.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307776123_Hellenistic_grotesque_terracotta_figurines_Problems_of_iconographical_interpretation/fulltext/5b0859100f7e9b1ed7f55e4a/Hellenistic-grotesque-terracotta-figurines-Problems-of-iconographical-interpretation.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307776123_Hellenistic_grotesque_terracotta_figurines_Problems_of_iconographical_interpretation/fulltext/5b0859100f7e9b1ed7f55e4a/Hellenistic-grotesque-terracotta-figurines-Problems-of-iconographical-interpretation.pdf</a>. See also this discussion, accompanied by many photos, at <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/acost/945" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://journals.openedition.org/acost/945" rel="nofollow">https://journals.openedition.org/acost/945</a>, of "Grotesque terracotta figurines and their uses." arguing for the apotropaic interpretation:</p><p><br /></p><p>"As we will see, by utilizing an ugly, non-canonical form, many objects could have an apotropaic function. From the fourth century B.C.E onwards, small-scale sculpture developed a rich repertoire of ridiculous and grotesque types that set a trajectory different from public and conspicuously visible art. The so-called grotesques were an enhancement of the Hellenistic interest in the human body and its weakness and imperfections by depicting ill and deformed individuals. Their variety ranges from representations of clinically diagnosable deformities to exaggerated physical abnormalities (fig. 4).24 According to Giuliani, bronze and terracotta figurines of this kind were life-like representations of beggars and others who gathered at big feasts in temples or at the houses of the wealthy. In the latter case, they indicated the importance and wealth of the host because the more beggars attracted to an event the greater the fortune of the event organizer. By implication, the bronze and terracotta portraits of these marginal people could have become symbols and charms of good luck that would have been placed in private houses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many grotesque representations, however, did not arise from the Hellenistic world of feasts and symposia and depict different sorts of deformities, as the example at hand demonstrates.26 Terracotta figurines developed differently because of their suitability and openness to non-canonical forms, but much also has to do with their use. Some of the Hellenistic or Greco-Roman figurines have a loop on their back that indicates that they were to be suspended or worn as an amulet.27 These types of objects are described by ancient sources as a baskanion, or charm.28 Pollux29 says that the term was used for ridiculous figurines (geloia tina), made by blacksmiths and served to turn away envy (epi phthonou apotrope) – note that he uses the word apotropein to describe their function. These figurines, according to Phrynichos,30 were also suspended by the artisans themselves to protect their own work. Furthermore, we read in the Vita Aesopi that the deformed Aesop was considered a baskanion by the other slaves, who thought their master had bought him for that purpose.31 Fear of the evil eye, according to Plutarch, seems to have been the most common impetus for the use of this kind of apotropaion: “When those possessed by envy (phthonos) to this degree let their glance fall upon a person, their eyes, which are close to the mind and draw from it the evil influence and passion, then assail that person as if with poisoned arrows; hence, I conclude, it is not paradoxical or incredible that they should have an effect on the persons who encounter their gaze… What I have said shows why the so-called amulets (probaskania) are thought to be a protection against malice. The strange look of them (atopia) attracts the gaze, so that it exerts less pressure upon its victim.”32 Varro also mentions the connection between the ugly (turpicula), and the unfavorable (scaevus), but those meanings can change to favorable, he says, when the object is used as an amulet.3"</p><p><br /></p><p>In terms of criteria, my decisions to buy artifacts have always been based on their visual appeal to me, and on my ability to afford them, with no organized plan or goals in my collection. Thus, although I probably have more Ancient Egyptian antiquities than anything else, I also have quite a few Greek antiquities (with a special fondness for small Attic black-figure lekythoi, and small Apulian and other South Italian vessels, red-figure and otherwise) and Roman antiquities (I like small Roman bronzes), as well as a very small number of Ancient Near Eastern antiquities such as the cuneiform tablet and small bronze antelope I posted above. In all cases, I try to buy only from reputable and well-established dealers, not only to avoid fakes, but to avoid any hint of illegal importation of looted artifacts -- not that it's really so much of a concern in my price range.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 5569845, member: 110350"]I am very much not an expert, but as I understand it, grotesque terracotta figures like mine, often portraying old men, were very popular in Ancient Greece, especially in the Hellenistic period, and have been variously interpreted as being inspired by comic figures on the stage, and/or as having apotropaic functions, and/or as being purely decorative. See the many photographs of such figures in the dissertation entitled "Hellenistic grotesque terracotta figurines, Problems of iconographical interpretation," at [URL]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307776123_Hellenistic_grotesque_terracotta_figurines_Problems_of_iconographical_interpretation/fulltext/5b0859100f7e9b1ed7f55e4a/Hellenistic-grotesque-terracotta-figurines-Problems-of-iconographical-interpretation.pdf[/URL]. See also this discussion, accompanied by many photos, at [URL]https://journals.openedition.org/acost/945[/URL], of "Grotesque terracotta figurines and their uses." arguing for the apotropaic interpretation: "As we will see, by utilizing an ugly, non-canonical form, many objects could have an apotropaic function. From the fourth century B.C.E onwards, small-scale sculpture developed a rich repertoire of ridiculous and grotesque types that set a trajectory different from public and conspicuously visible art. The so-called grotesques were an enhancement of the Hellenistic interest in the human body and its weakness and imperfections by depicting ill and deformed individuals. Their variety ranges from representations of clinically diagnosable deformities to exaggerated physical abnormalities (fig. 4).24 According to Giuliani, bronze and terracotta figurines of this kind were life-like representations of beggars and others who gathered at big feasts in temples or at the houses of the wealthy. In the latter case, they indicated the importance and wealth of the host because the more beggars attracted to an event the greater the fortune of the event organizer. By implication, the bronze and terracotta portraits of these marginal people could have become symbols and charms of good luck that would have been placed in private houses. Many grotesque representations, however, did not arise from the Hellenistic world of feasts and symposia and depict different sorts of deformities, as the example at hand demonstrates.26 Terracotta figurines developed differently because of their suitability and openness to non-canonical forms, but much also has to do with their use. Some of the Hellenistic or Greco-Roman figurines have a loop on their back that indicates that they were to be suspended or worn as an amulet.27 These types of objects are described by ancient sources as a baskanion, or charm.28 Pollux29 says that the term was used for ridiculous figurines (geloia tina), made by blacksmiths and served to turn away envy (epi phthonou apotrope) – note that he uses the word apotropein to describe their function. These figurines, according to Phrynichos,30 were also suspended by the artisans themselves to protect their own work. Furthermore, we read in the Vita Aesopi that the deformed Aesop was considered a baskanion by the other slaves, who thought their master had bought him for that purpose.31 Fear of the evil eye, according to Plutarch, seems to have been the most common impetus for the use of this kind of apotropaion: “When those possessed by envy (phthonos) to this degree let their glance fall upon a person, their eyes, which are close to the mind and draw from it the evil influence and passion, then assail that person as if with poisoned arrows; hence, I conclude, it is not paradoxical or incredible that they should have an effect on the persons who encounter their gaze… What I have said shows why the so-called amulets (probaskania) are thought to be a protection against malice. The strange look of them (atopia) attracts the gaze, so that it exerts less pressure upon its victim.”32 Varro also mentions the connection between the ugly (turpicula), and the unfavorable (scaevus), but those meanings can change to favorable, he says, when the object is used as an amulet.3" In terms of criteria, my decisions to buy artifacts have always been based on their visual appeal to me, and on my ability to afford them, with no organized plan or goals in my collection. Thus, although I probably have more Ancient Egyptian antiquities than anything else, I also have quite a few Greek antiquities (with a special fondness for small Attic black-figure lekythoi, and small Apulian and other South Italian vessels, red-figure and otherwise) and Roman antiquities (I like small Roman bronzes), as well as a very small number of Ancient Near Eastern antiquities such as the cuneiform tablet and small bronze antelope I posted above. In all cases, I try to buy only from reputable and well-established dealers, not only to avoid fakes, but to avoid any hint of illegal importation of looted artifacts -- not that it's really so much of a concern in my price range.[/QUOTE]
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