Captured in this sliver of a cup’s tondo is an athletically inclined gentleman in an ungainly squat. I say athletically not for his admirable bendiness, but because of that floppy stippled thing near his left knee.
It’s certainly a sponge, one of the three basic accoutrements of post-athletic male hygiene, but shown far less than either aryballoi or strigils and of course never preserved in the archaeological record. Sea-sponges are mentioned as early as Homer in Greek literature, and shown far earlier. Not so surprising given that the Mediterranean (Kalymnos springs to mind) remains a rich source for the real thing.
Judging from the wide band of special added coral red around the figural scene this must have been a seriously fancy cup, perhaps with a more dignified athlete looming over our squatter or with several youths training on the exterior.
I’m no great shakes at attribution, but I’d like to be optimistic and think Epiktetos – that great genius of creatively filling a tondo – was the painter. Any thoughts yea or nay?
Scrub-a-dub dub and happy fragment Friday!
