Description
Book SynopsisThis study explores the phenomenon of spectators through a database built from a census of the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, which reveals that the figures flourished in Athenian vase painting during the last two-thirds of the sixth century BCE.
Trade Review'This book will stimulate graduate students and scholars interested in the viewing and reading not just of Athenian pottery but of the ancient visual arts in general. While the author notes that his work is only the beginning, he addresses figures that often have been neglected, thus demonstrating the possibility that they have something to tell us about the ancient world. In short, Stansbury-O'Donnell has given us new and vital directions to explore in the study of decorated pottery.' American Journal of Archaeology
'This study makes important progress in the discussion of the meaning of spectators in images on Athenian vases … Most important, the results here invite subsequent work and provide a clear basis for it.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review
'Stansbury-O'Donnell's investigation is both thorough and carefully presented … His careful methodology is exemplary, and his study shows a way forward for our understanding of the unsung figures in Attic art.' The Journal of Hellenic Studies
Table of Contents1. Seeing spectators; 2. Defining spectators; 3. Vision and the construction of identity; 4. Ritual performance, spectators, and identity; 5. Men and youths: gender and social identity; 6. Women as spectators: gender and social identity.
