Mediterranean Seafood

I've always been fascinated with Greek culture, mostly stemming from my interest in the mythology of the region.  So when we were let loose to discover a piece of artwork relating the connection between people and animals, I immediately headed towards the Mediterranean pottery section.  As luck would have it, I found an excellent example of humanity's relationship with creatures of the sea.

Originating somewhere around 340-320 BCE, this terra-cotta platter depicts in stunning detail the delicacies of coastal living in Greece.  Attributed to the workshop of Darius, this red-figure fish plate displays a squid, octopus, shellfish, and a flatfish.The curvature of the plate dips at the center into a sort of min-bowl.  Scholars believe it was designed to hold the sauce in which the seafood was dipped.  In fact, seafood was a sign of high class for the Ancient Greeks so the dishes were presented on the more ornate of platters, hence the scrupulous detail shown here.

Now enough about the historical significance, I'm much more interested in why the artist choose to depict his meal in such a way.  Because that's the main connection here: humans and their food source.  It's not a happy-go-lucky painting of medieval princesses seated in a forest with a unicorn.  It's a much older and accurate depiction of our history with creatures of the sea.  I'm not saying the ancients had respect for the Ocean-just look at the stories revolving around Poseidon.  It's just difficult to feel empathy for creatures that look so different from us mammals.

Yet, I get the feeling the artist didn't just see the animals on this plate as lacking in intelligence or emotion.  It struck me that all of the animals (minus the shellfish) are painted with their eyes staring back at the diner.  It's like they're watching themselves be consumed.  Is this a symbolic representation of reminding humans to be thankful for our meals?  Is it a gentle reminder to not forget that one life is lost to preserve another?  In any case, I find it intriguing that all the animals are intact as well.  It doesn't appear as if the octopus has been fried or the squid sauteed.  I assume part of the reason is the difficulty posed by painting the more abstract concept of what the sea creatures become- aka, our meal.  Of course, I don't actually know how the meal would have been prepared that long ago.

On the same vein of portrayal of the creatures, why is the shellfish merely a shell?  I wonder if the Ancient Greeks understood that shellfish are sentient beings like any other animal.  I know they didn't have scientific classifications like we do now but did they think shellfish were closer to plants, or animals, or in a completely separate category.  Just some idle curiosity.  However, I'm rather pleased that I found an example of a scallop shell.  The Greeks weren't a Christian population at the time, but perhaps they held some of the same associations as we do with the scallop shell.  I guess we could call this.....

food for thought.

Photos taken by me at the Blanton Art Museum