Singing Reveler (Epiktetos)

Singing Reveler is the tondo (circular painting) in a terracotta drinking cup said to have been painted by Epiktetos. It is dated about 520–510 BC. The cup measures 3 1/16 x 9 15/16 x 7 1/16 to 7 3/16 in. The cup is in the collections of The J. Paul Getty Museum.

The tondo depicts an older, balding man reclining on a couch and singing. The setting is probably a drinking party (symposium). These cups were meant to be used at such parties and were often decorated with party scenes.

The tondo presented problems to painters. It was difficult to present upright figures in a circle. Epiktetos solved this problem by using the couch as a line. The man's mantle slipping from the couch creates depth and space. The museum writes, "Epiktetos also used the circular frame of the tondo as part of the composition: it supports the man's pillow, and he props his foot on it."

References

• Wine Cup with a Singing Reveler, The J. Paul Getty Museum, retrieved July 22, 2012

Other websites

• Media related to Epiktetos at Wikimedia Commons