The Sea

Of Gods, Heroes and Men in Ancient Greek Art

by Aliki Samara-Kauffmann

Book cover: The Sea

Extent: 120 pages

Publisher: Kapon Editions

Subjects: Art & Art History, Mediterranean Archaeology

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(December 2008)

ISBN: 9789607037954

Price: $47.00

In stock

Published to coincide with an exhibition in both France and Greece, dedicated to marine representations on vases, and particularly those inspired by mythology. Part I examines 42 specific examples of vases; Part II contains specialist articles on the iconography of the sea and on marine archaeology, from French and Greek experts. 100 col. Illus.


Thanks to the variety of shapes and decorated surfaces found in vases, the art of pottery developed a more extensive repertoire of subjects related to the sea than any other art form. The forty-two characteristic examples of marine iconography included in this catalogue come mainly from the collections of the Louvre, though also from those of other museums. They are divided into four groups: marine fauna and seafaring, the deities of the deep, the voyages of gods and heroes who crisscrossed the ocean, and, finally, the miraculous birth of the goddess who emerged from the waves, Aphrodite, born from the foam. The variety and aesthetic quality of marine scenes in vase-painting reveal once more the importance of the sea to Greek civilization.

  • By (author) Aliki Samara-Kauffmann