Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T23:58:19.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 43 - Mycenaean Painting

from Part VII - Aegean Art of the Mainland Mycenaean Palatial Period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2022

Jean-Claude Poursat
Translated by
Carl Knappett
Jean-Claude Poursat
Affiliation:
University of Clermont-Ferrand
Carl Knappett
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Get access

Summary

In imitation of the knossos palace, mainland Mycenaean palaces had wall paintings (Immerwahr 1990; Brecoulaki 2015). It remains unclear whether frescoes also existed in private dwellings. Beyond the palaces, the structures that are decorated are either sanctuaries or buildings directly tied to the palatial system. In total, a dozen sites have produced fresco fragments: in the Argolid, Midea, Mycenae, and Tiryns; in Messenia, Pylos and Iklaina; in Laconia, Haghios Vasileios; in Boeotia, Gla, Orchomenos, and Thebes; and in Attica, Eleusis.

Mycenaean frescoes were known even before those from the palace of Knossos, from the excavations of Mycenae (Rodenwaldt 1921) and Tiryns (Rodenwaldt 1912). Their novelty then paled by comparison with the Minoan frescoes that are more complete and lively.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
A History
 , pp. 417 - 431
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Further Reading

Brecoulaki, 2015: Brecoulaki, H., Davis, J., Stocker, S. eds., Mycenaean Wall-Paintings in Context: New Discoveries and Old Finds Reconsidered, Athens.Google Scholar
Hirsch, 1977: Hirsch, E., Painted Decoration on the Floors of Bronze Age Structures on Crete and the Greek Mainland, Gothenburg.Google Scholar
Immerwahr, 1990: Immerwahr, S., Aegean Painting in the Bronze Age, University Park, PA.Google Scholar
Lang, 1969: Lang, M., The Palace of Nestor at Pylos in Western Messenia, II. The Frescoes, Princeton, NJ.Google Scholar
McCallum, 1987: McCallum, L., Decorative Program in the Mycenaean Palace of Pylos: The Megaron Frescoes, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.Google Scholar
Morgan, 2005: Morgan, L. ed., Aegean Wall Painting: A Tribute to Mark Cameron, London.Google Scholar
Reusch, 1956: Reusch, H., Die zeichnerische Rekonstruktion des Frauenfrieses im böotischen Theben, Berlin.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×