How Art Represents Life

My immediate interest when deciding upon a topic of my choice was delving into the world of homosexuality in ancient works of art. I identify under the umbrella term of “gay,” and among many social issues these days, including issues of this controversial and common topic, I am highly interested in seeing if the ancient peoples had a certain view on this way of life. They do, and they do not. This will be examined. This paper will not look deeply into the matter of homosexual displays of females, as they were not the main focus in ancient times.

That is not to say, however, that females did not have feelings that were equivalent to what one would define as today’s version of “lesbian.” According to Cipendragon, there is not enough evidence to make claims on homosexuality between females. Therefore, I will focus on homosexuality between males in ancient times.

Evidence reveals that its practice had already been in effect around the late Minoan times, approximately 1650 BCE, the Bronze Age. This practice was not confined to the Greeks, but extended to the Italians, Japanese, and Persians, among others. According to “Greek Homosexuality,” ‘homosexuality’ is a relatively modern term; same-sex desire has antecedents in ancient cultures across the globe, demonstrating that this has always been an aspect of human experience. Furthermore, one of the most materially well-attested of these cultures is ancient Greece (Cipendragon). For the Greeks, same-sex desire was never seen as abnormal or unnatural. It is known that from young ages, boys were kept apart from women for long periods of time because they believed the boys would grow up to fight better, defend more effectively, and become better companions. It was also expected that they would marry women and father children (Cipendragon). It may be difficult for modern audiences to view this practice as a way of life rather than child abuse. The older male’s masculinity was defined by their dominance, and in this way, the younger boy was mentored. However, the younger boy did not simply participate in sexual acts. He learned the ways of life and the older male was regarded as a mentor. The boy learned submissiveness, and he was taught not to take pleasure in the passive sexual act, thus retaining his honor (Cipendragon).

This is not to say that younger males did not ever take pleasure or actively participate in the act. Once the boy reached adulthood, he would become the dominant partner, once married and a father himself, and continue the tradition, if wealthy enough, as this was only a social status for the elite. It is important to note that the “sex” was not penetrative, though that is not to say that penetration did not occur. It most commonly involved “intercrural” sex, where the older partner rubs his genitalia between the younger’s thighs. The first set of images I will be analyzing is titled “The Warren Cup,” which I assume is named after its former owner, Edward Perry Warren. Warren was an advocate of pederasty—that is, sexual relationships between men and boys—which is the topic my paper and images are centered around. In fact, Warren primarily collected this type of ancient erotic art. He was an advocate for this type of erotica and hoped to revive this ancient tradition of sex between men and boys (“Tag Archives”). The cup contains two love-making scenes between the erastes (older male) and the eromenos (younger male). Between the scenes, you can see the people are set in a location that contains textile hangings and what appears to be some form of drapery or cloth. It is fairly simple to make out who is the erastes and who is the eromenos; in fact, in one scene you can even see the beard on the erastes. Additionally, when you glance between the torsos, you may notice the eromenos’ body has not yet reached its full form. Perhaps it has not reached puberty. In the first image, you may miss the boy at the door witnessing the scene. I imagine this may be a slave or captor of some sort (“A History of the World”). These double-walled cups are of Hellenistic nature.

The cup is likely to have been found in Palestine, possibly during a Jewish uprising that was crushed by Hadrian’s legions, with coins of Emperor Claudius who ruled from 41 – 54 AD. In the background, if we note the males’ hair, we see that the erastes’s hair is tied up while the eromenos’s hair is loose. This is reflective of that time when young Greek boys were offered to the gods in a rite celebrated at puberty (the Warren Cup?). It is believed that Warren purchased the cup from an antiquities dealer in Italy. During Warren’s lifetime, the cup was rejected by museums in Britain and America due to the raunchiness. Curators feared that the public would conjure unwholesome thoughts upon seeing the cup. Since its arrival in the art world, this cup has been extremely controversial due to its nature, not to mention Warren’s blatant homosexuality and his advocacy for relationships between young males and adult males. Due to its immoral and beastly theme, and even though it’s a remarkably important historical piece of art, museums on both sides of the Atlantic refused to acquire it. After Warren’s death, the cup changed hands many times and was never put on public display until finally, the British Museum purchased it for a large sum in 1999—and even then, there was much titillation in the press. Furthermore, if you navigate certain routes to get to the website to see photos, certain angles are blocked to view the photo of the Warren Cup due to the nature of the photo. The second image I am displaying shows a traditional courtship between an erastes and an eromenos. We can easily identify the erastes by his beard and the actions he is taking; he is displaying the “up-and-down” gesture, in which one hand reaches down to fondle the eromenos, and the other holds his child so that the erastes can look the eromenos in the eye.

This work was completed in 540 BCE on an Athenian neck-amphora. Amphoras are ancient vessels which were used as storage jars and one of the main vessel shapes in Greek pottery. They had two handles on either side, and the necks were narrower than the body. The older man, called the “erastes,” would take a young male lover, called the “eromenos,” and teach this boy the ways of war, politics, and sex. While these men had intercourse with one another, it was more of an educational relationship. Just as they would practice swordplay or discuss the political agenda of the current day, so would they practice and discuss the ways of sexual pleasure. The Athenians believed that this kind of relationship–literally learning every aspect of the self from another proper Athenian–would create, in essence, a “breed” of perfect men. In the final image I have provided, you will notice there is a brief similarity between this and the previous image. You will be able to more easily spot the erastes and the eromenos. Here you will see the eromenos holding what seems to be a bag of some content, perhaps a courting gift from the erastes. He is being fondled in the manner of courtship. This red-figure cup was completed around 480 BC and is on display at the Ashmolean Museum.

Works Cited

1. “A History of the World – Object : Warren Cup.” ?BBC?, BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/D6XhBBXCTPy-tLxOUvy-FQ/?commentPage=1
2. “Archive: Warren Cup.” ?British Museum?, 2019, www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/london_exhibition_archive/archive_warren_cup.aspx Cipendragon.
3. “LGBT History Month – ‘Greek Love.’” ?Stories from the Museum Floor?, 24 Feb.2017, storiesfromthemuseumfloor.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/lgbt-history-month-greek-love/ “Greek Homosexuality.” ?Livius?, 2005, www.livius.org/articles/concept/greek-homosexuality?/
4. Hernestus. “?EDWARD PERRY ‘NED’ WARREN SAINT OF ANTINOUS?.” ?ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD?, 28 Dec. 2014, antinousgaygod.blogspot.com/2014/12/edward-perry-ned-warren-saint-of.html.
5. “Tag Archives: Edward Perry Warren.” ?CHASING APHRODITE?, 28 Mar. 2012, chasingaphrodite.com/tag/edward-perry-warren/
6. “The Warren Cup.” ?British Museum?, 2019, www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=41 332&partId=1
7. http://www.livius.org/articles/concept/greek-homosexuality/
8. https://papersowl.com/free-plagiarism-checke

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