Steps. Mercury has his caduceus in his left hand, and bears a lamp
in his right. He is also distinguished by his petasos and his
chlamys. All the details of the picture point to circumstances of
common occurrence in Greek comedies, with whom the (
Greek characters)
was a favourite character[1]. The ladder is expressly mentioned by
Xenarchus, a poet of the Middle Comedy[2], and the window, which
in correct drawing should be at a much greater height from the
ground, represents the opening in the upper story of the stage from
which the hetæra was frequently represented as looking down upon
her lover[3]. It is worthy of remark that both Jupiter and Mercury
are represented as bare-footed. In the other picture, which probably represents a similar nocturnal visit paid by Bacchus to
Althæa in the Comedy of Theopompus[4], a female dressed like the
Alcmena of the other scene, is looking out of a window, while
a comic figure with mask, socci, and other appendages, is climbing
the ladder to reach her. He wears a chaplet on his head, and
while he presents Althæa with "the apples of Dionysus[5]," i.e.
quinces, as an offering of love, he carries in his other hand a red
band for her hair[6]. His bare-footed attendant has in his left hand
a flambeau and a crown of myrtle, and in his right a little box
((Greek characters)), containing some present for the lady. Althæa was the
wife of Œneus, and the chaplets of vine-leaves, which adorn the
wall of the house, are very appropriate to his name as the man of
the vineyard. The colours of the pictures are an interesting
feature in the costume. The crowns on the heads of the figures
are white[7]. The (Greek characters) of the man on the ladder is a brownish
red, his sleeves and leggings are of a bright brown. The other
- ↑ Bergk, de Reliq. Com. Att. p. 287.
- ↑ Meineke, ill. p. 617: (
Greek characters).
- ↑ Pollux, IV. § 1 30 : (Greek characters) Cf. Vitruv. V. 6, 9.
- ↑ This Comedy is cited by Athen. XI. p. 501 F; Pollux, ix. § t8o. That Bacchus used to go as comast or reveller to the house of Althasa is known from Eurip. Cyclops, 37sqq.: (Greek characters)
- ↑ Theocr. II. 120: (Greek characters) III. 10: (Greek characters)
- ↑ Muller, Handb. d. Arch. § 340, 4.
- ↑ This was the proper colour for a loving serenader ; Theocr. Ii. 121: (Greek characters)
