Folia archeologica 54.

Judit Lebegyev: A Stag from Mycenae and the Greek prehistoric Sherd collection of the Hungarian National Museum

74 J L'DIT LF.BEGYEV Directly in front of the face of the animal a small part remained from another motif: on the top, a silhouette painted horizontal curving line runs over the antler; below two downward curving vertical dotted lines, and to the right, small part of a solid vertical line remained. The solid band on the right may be interpreted as a stem, the dotted lines as two leaves, and the curving motif on the top might indicate a crowning leave. The partially preserved motif might be tentatively reconstructed as a kind of floral motif consisting of a stem from which, probably at both sides, a pair of downward curving leaves grow out, crowned with a solidly painted horizontally curving motif. From the intersecting lines the sequence of the drawing can also be reconstructed: first the horizontal band below the rim was made. This was then followed by the painting of the stag, first with the drawing of the head and the eye, and then the antlers, which run over the horizontal band. After that, the motif to the right was drawn, first the vertical stem, than the two dotted lines, and finally the horizontal crowning motif with its narrowing line terminating on the antler. Discussion Contrary to the usual representations of stags, on this fragment the branches of the antler are not placed above, but under it, and instead of forming short strokes or "key motives", the tines are rendered as small outlined triangles.

1' The closest parallel for this execution is found on the LH IIIC Middle alabastron from Lefkandi, where the triangular shaped tines on the right antler of the stag are also placed only on the underside.

1

8 Similar triangular shaped tines but placed on both side of the antlers, are known from two LH IIIB2 date fragments from Tiryns.

1

9 The short head with the downward tapering muzzle differs from the usual elongated head type. For such a short-headed stag one example is known from Berbati, but the rendering of the muzzle is different.

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0 The head is dominated by a large circular eye with solidly painted iris in the middle, which is a characteristic feature of stag representations. The first remaining line of the wavy-line body fill usually begins as a vertical line behind the eye, but here it runs diagonally between the circle of the eye and the head line.

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0 Another example for a similar execution is seen on a small fragment from the Argolid, where also the shape of the eye and the preserved part of the antler show close similarities with our fragment.

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2 The rare or unique features, as the shape of the head, the rendering of the antlers and the body fill cannot be closely matched in their entirety with any known stag representations. It is not possible therefore to attribute the fragment to any known painter's hand or specific workshop. 1

6 ÁKERSTRÖM 1987, 37, No. 189, PI. 34:1a (from Berbati); GÜNTNER 2000, HIRSCH 11, Taf. 31,10 (from Tiryns). 1

7 Due to the stylised execution of the antler it is not possible to assign the stag to any of the two species, i.e. Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) or Fallow Deer (Cervus dama) present in this period in the Aegean. On deer and fawn representations in Late Bronze Age Aegean art, and the possibilities of connecting them to particular species see CATLING 1980, 441-442; KOUNTOURI 2003, 673-677. 1

8 RM DP Euboea 79, Fig. 275; CROUWEI. 2006, PI. 67. 1

9 GÜNTNER 2000, HIRSCH 7

A

, Taf. 31, 5; HIRSCH 7В, Taf. 31, 6. 2

0 ÁKERSTRÖM 1987, 37, No. 189. PI. 34:1a. 2

1 Enkomi: MPYPV.53, V.54; Mycenae: CROUWEL 1991, С 9, PI. I ; Tiryns: GÜNTNER 2000, HIRSCH ГЛ. Taf. 29, la-b; HIRSCH 5A, Taf. 30, 2b. 2

2 Only part of the eyes, the neck and the base of the antlers are preserved. The antlers are also placed on the line above the eye as growing out from one point, SLENCZKA 1974, 83, Kat. Nr. 247, Taf. 36, 2c; CATLING 1980, no. 17; G

ÜNTNER 2000, 244, H

IRSCH 24 - dated to LH HIB I (LH HIB Early - Middle).