Minoan octopus stirrup jar - MYC065COD103/36

Handmade Cretan flask decorated with octopus, museum copy Marine Style Octopus Vase from Palaikastro (Archaeological Museum, Herakleion, Crete) c. 1500 BCE The Octopus Flask is an example of Minoan New Palace Period pottery.

Made to celebrate the sea, this Kamares Ware jug is covered in decoration of marine life.

The jug is round with a small opening at the top and has two small, round handles on either side of the neck.

The main figure is an octopus whose tentacles span over the rounded surface of the vase.

Handmade in Greece.

The Marine Style of pottery is so-named because it is decorated with a wide range of sea creatures - octopuses, argonauts, dolphins, fist, starfish - seen against a background of sea weeds, sponges, and coral.

The designs, which cover the whole vase, are spontaneous and inventive.

This stirrup jar, with its octopus design, is typical of the Late Minoan period which had reached a high point in foreign expansion and vigorous economic activity.

The pottery of this period is characterized by an exuberant joy in nature; the motifs are more naturalistic and there is a greater sense of movement.

There is no three-dimensional illusionism; rather the impact of the painting comes from the shapes of the motifs and their relationship to the vessel’s shape and contours.

The marine elements, like the octopus (cuttlefish), work well because their shapes are simple, irregular and sinuous, and thus allow a ready transition to two-dimensional form.

The marine style is also characterized by the desire to fill every available space with some ornamentation.

Minoan period was named Minoan by the Phytic king Minos, the son of Europe and Zeus. In fact, all the kings of Crete were called Minoans for many centuries.

Crete, located in the middle of the Mediterranean, due to its location, quickly became a large naval and commercial power.

There were many ports on the island and countless Cretan ships crossed the Aegean.

They traveled to all the Cyclades and reached the East, Egypt, Troy and Cyprus.

The Cretans or Minoans sold their products there, oil, honey and wine, vessels, jewelry and seals and brought to Crete copper, silver, gold, ivory and precious stones.

The Minoans were great potters. With the help of the wheel they made clay pots in many shapes and sizes and decorated them with many designs and colors.

They painted drawings taken from nature, such as: flowers, leaves, animals, fish, shells, starfish, etc.

At a time when the Cycladic culture was in great development, another popular culture was born in Crete.