Ambivalent Aesthetics: Interrogating Iconographic Tension on Two Cups by the Brygos Painter Open Access
Goodman, Catherine (Spring 2026)
Abstract
This thesis examines two kylikes attributed to the Brygos Painter (490-480 BCE) depicting the Homeric female concubines Briseis and Tekmessa within the mythological narrative of Odysseus and Ajax’s fight over the arms of Achilles. Combining iconographic analysis and methodological approaches that favor the understanding of painted pottery within its context of usage, this thesis argues that these two vessels expose mounting anxieties about gender, status, and competition in Athens in the fifth century BCE. By examining the multifaceted iconographies of these women, with particular interest in the charged garment of the veil, and their role within the space of the symposium, this study reveals how the representation of Briseis and Tekmessa by the Brygos Painter at once reinforces their subjugation and affirms their agency. Through a focus on the female figures, this study likewise reveals the fragile reconstruction of Athenian masculinity in the early stages of democracy.
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………….. 1
Literature Review ………………………………….. 3
The Arms of Achilles and the Politics of Possession ………………………………….. 6
In the Symposium: The Concubine as Competition ………………………………….. 23
Conclusion ………………………………….. 30
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