- Erika Simon –
on another amphora by the same painter,^32 together with the centaur Cheiron, the future
teacher of Achilles (see Fig. 24.8). They are about to lead the three goddesses from the
wedding festival on Mount Pelion in Thessaly to Mount Ida in the Troad. The old man
is Aiakos (Aeacus), father of the bridegroom Peleus.^33 He was said to be the fairest of all
humans. He will have infl uence on the judgment of Paris, as well as Apollo’s oracular
bird, the raven, sitting behind him (Fig. 24.10).
Aphrodite had promised to Paris the most beautiful woman on earth. On a bronze
mirror from Praeneste (470/60 bce), which has Etruscan name inscriptions, the goddess
fulfi ls her promise (Fig. 24.12).^34 Paris, as young as on the amphora (Fig. 24.10), is seated
at the bed where Helen has given birth to her daughter. He looks up to the majestic
Aphrodite (Turan), who will help him to abduct the mother without the baby. Three
sphinxes appear as fate symbols, one above Helen, whose abduction caused the Trojan
War. The scene has a special fl air, typical for Etruscan mirrors (see Chapter 58). They were
privately used. The same may be said about gems. Men and women wore them, mostly on
rings. The Etruscans learned to cut gems from East Greek and oriental artists (see Chapter
51). The “Master of the Boston Dionysos” (last quarter of sixth century bce) belonged to
the fi rst generation of Etruscan gem artists.^35 Like his colleagues he preferred to represent
single fi gures: a hero, a god, a demon.^36 Mythical scenes with three and more persons
are rare. One of his carnelian scarabs is such an exception (Fig. 24.13).^37 In the center
Herakles grasps at the wrist of a small old man. Some scholars call him Nereus, the grey
god of the sea; others prefer Geras, the personifi cation of Old Age. I think the latter fi ts
well in the private sphere of a gem. The goddess behind Herakles is Athena, the female
fi gure on the other side is not convincingly named. I think she is Herakles’ Olympian
bride Hebe, the personifi cation of Youth.^38 She congratulates him with a fl ower in her
raised hand. He defeats Old Age and will live with her. A carnelian scarab, made famous
by Winckelmann, shows a scene of the “Seven against Thebes” (Fig. 24.14, early fi fth
Figure 24.12 Bronze mirror from Praeneste. Helen in childbirth, Paris and Aphrodite (Turan).
Rome, Villa Giulia (n. 34).