Anthropomorphic Hydria
Anthropomorphic or Zoomorphic shapes were common throughout the Cypriot Bronze Age, however the Iron Age brought about a more standardised set of forms with restricted artistic expression. The reasons for this are complex and multi-faceted, likely combinations of more export demand and societal changes brought about after the Bronze Age Collapse.
In the later Archaic period (750 - 480 BCE) potters began to introduce more complex forms that deviated from the prototypical patterns seen in the Geometric period.
While some of these forms were one of a kind, some patterns do emerge. In particular turning the neck of the prototypical Iron Age Jar shape into a human face with hand-molded clay, these Anthropomorphic Hydria likely date to the 6th century BCE (at the end of the Archaic period).
The Anthropomorphic Hydria were likely produced for a short period in Kourion.
Characteristics of Bichrome Anthropomorphic Hydria
The jars are of different types, some with vertical handles, some with flared out ones and so on.
The jars are all either Bichrome or Wheel-Made White Painted. The hand shaped faces are usually decorated in bichrome or black slip. with simple black lines denoting the eye brows and mouth, with circles for eyes. Red slip is also usually applied to pierced large flaring ears. It is not clear if anything was attached to the ears.
One such Anthropomorphic Hydria is present in our collection in the image in this section.
Many of the pieces also have seams at the neck, indicating that the neck and anthropomorphic mouth may have been molded separately and then attached. Slip is however applied above this seam indicating that this would have been done before firing.
Finger print marks and other indications such as each piece being unique and rather crude show that the ear, mouth, brow and nose are likely hand molded.
3D Model
As part of our Photogrammetry initiative, we have taken a high resolution scan and produced a 3D model accessible over the web which can be accessed here: 3D Model.
Tracing Anthropomorphic Hydria
Karageorghis 1974 & 1975
Almost every year, from 1959 to 1996, Karageorghis published a short bulletin with recent finds and news on Cypriot material culture. In 1974, the year of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Karageorghis wrote the following (translated into English):
"As the Museum was then at a distance of about one hundred meters from the line of hostilities, the galleries had to be evacuated as a security measure. Since then, some of the most important objects of the Museum have been transported to Athens for a temporary exhibition at the National Museum."
He then lists a couple dozen artefacts, among those are two Anthropomorphic Hydria with the following text:
"The Kourion region had already produced a hydria of White Painted IV manufacture, whose neck was adorned with a painted human face. Two other similar hydriae were discovered this year in the same region."
"Hydria. No inv. 1974/11-13/12. Height 31 cm (fig. 18). The face is partially modeled and the facial details (eyes, eyebrows, mouth) are painted. The ears, rendered in relief, are perforated."
"Hydria. No inv. 1974/IV-29/4. Height 33 cm (fig. 20). The neck of the hydria bears two eyes and large eyebrows ending in a triangle between the eyes. The shoulder zone is decorated with small concentric circles."
The next year, in 1975, Karageorghis published another bulletin in which another Anthropomorphic Hydria was found and presented:
"A Bichrome IV hydria, originating from the Kourion region, of a style that is represented by several other specimens from the same area. Inv. No. 1975/IX-29/3. Height 17 cm (fig. 4). The neck is shaped in the form of a human face with facial features either painted or rendered in relief; 6th century BCE."
Sadly the images in the article were of very low resolution and bad contrast, we tried our best to clean these up and present them here:
Anthropomorphic Hydria Across Collections
The Hydria mentioned in the bulletins can now be located in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia where we took some higher quality photos:
Hydria in Nicosia Museum
Hydria in Nicosia Museum
We were also able to track down another Anthropomorphic Hydria in the Cycladic Museum collections on loan from the Thanos N. Zintilis Collection and one that we found in the Kourion Museum.
The Thanos N. Zintilis one lists a Limassol provenance, we find this to be unlikely. The Zintilis collection was acquired privately from art collections across Europe, most items have no provenance and those which do are dubious at best. We were unable to find why Limassol was listed, Kourion is right next to Limassol so we find it the most likely find spot.
Finally we were able to find one more example, in the National Archaeological Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which is of a different style. While still being a jar form, as with all others, the handles attach from the body directly to the mouth of the jar. It is in White Painted Style. We were not able to trace it and don't know of its provenance.
Hydria in Kourion Museum
Hydria in Cycladic Museum, part of Zintilis collection
Hydria from the National Archaeological Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris Franc
There are several papers which cite the Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus (RDAC) 1968 as having some published Anthropomorphic Hydria. We were not yet able to track down a copy to check. These are likely published by Pieridou.