bronze oil lamp depicting Oedipus and the sphinx

The anonymous painter of the original red-figure kylix, dating to ca 470BC, is named The Oedipus Painter by art historians. It is in the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco in the Vatican Museums. Discovered in fragments at the ancient site of Vulci (an Etruscan city that imported high-end Athenian pottery), the image painted onto the tondo of this cup is the definitive template for how this aspect of the myth was depicted for centuries thereafter.

Oedipus sits on a rock on the left side, dressed as an ordinary traveller, wearing a cloak and a flat sun hat (the petasos - also worn by Hermes), resting his chin thoughtfully on his hand. The Sphinx sits directly opposite him, perched on top of an Ionic column, staring at him with an air of misplaced arrogance, while awaiting his answer.

On the exterior of the original piece is painted an unruly, chaotic Dionysiac revel - in stark contrast to the intense, quiet, intellectual scene on the interior.

The hybrid mythical enigmatic sphinx, with the face of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird of prey, has an interesting duality in ancient Greek art and literature.

The male sphinx of ancient Egypt, benevolent guardian of pharoahs and of sacred places, was integrated into archaic Greek culture, but with a significant difference, namely that she was now a female hybrid. The Greek sphinx retained - at first - the role of silent guardian, as seen in archaic pottery and in many apotropaic funerary markers, to watch over the dead, and to ward off evil. (If you have been to the museum in Delphi, you'll have seen the monumental sphinx dedicated by the people of Naxos to Apollo's panhellenic sanctuary.)

Gradually, during the archaic and the early Classical periods, there is a distinct shift in the representations of the sphinx in both Greek art and literature. Hesiod set the tone for this change by rewriting the sphinx' genealogy... she was now the offspring of terrifying, primeval Greek monsters Typhon and Echidna. Smaller sphinx statues were now placed on top of gravestones as boundary markers between the living and the dead, and the sphinx became intimately linked to mortal grief, death, and the terrifying transition to Hades. By the time Sophocles wrote Oedipus Tyrannos (ca 429 BCE), the silent stone guardian had been reimagined as a speaking, riddling, destructive devourer of any who failed to solve her cryptic riddle. The point at which, outwitted by Oedipus, this symbol of mystery and ruin hurls herself to death from a steep cliff, in some ways represents a transition from primeval chaos to civilised reason.

The bronze oil lamps at It's All Greek are beautiful, decorative pieces in their own right, and will enhance any surface. Should you wish to use them, please do so with great care and at your own risk!

Suggestions:

• place on a slate placemat or stone surface NOT on wood, since the bronze may heat up a little

• use clear paraffin odour-free lamp oil and a slow-burning wick, specifically designed for hurricane lamps or vintage lamps

• do not leave unattended

Hephaistos would be amazed by the craftsmanship and quality of this wonderful collection!

These superb bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted, the base is of black marble.

Please note that there may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time, and that accessories such as spears, tridents or javelins may vary in length or height! If you need precise dimensions and weight, email me!

If you need a piece to fit a very specific space, or if you want me to take a photo of a couple of pieces so you can pick the one you want, I will do so with pleasure.

Every piece is deliciously tactile.

It's All Greek is so grateful and so proud to have been working closely with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege and a joy to handle, live with, to photograph and describe these gorgeous pieces, before passing them on to passionate and grateful customers all over the world.

If you already own one of these pieces, cherish it!