Page 344 - Beholding Liberty!

II.8.D
The trend
of Philhellenism
«Get up, take arms, take revenge, proud Greeks»
Greek Ode, in the programme of the opera of G.A. Rossini The siege of Corinth, 1826
THE PHILHELLENIC ART was not limited only to the prin- cipal visual arts, (architecture, sculpture, painting), but spread equally –and even more– into the applied and decorative arts.
The art of engraving, with its multiple uses –in separate im- prints or as illustration in printed works and objects– publicized scenes and figures of the Greek Revolution.
The philhellenic themes, unchanged or altered, were repro- duced on objects utilitarian, but also of aesthetic value. Ta- ble clocks, plates and vases of various types, statuettes and small-scale sculptures for multiple uses, items of beautification and apparel, swamp the philhellenic homes with figures of the romantic revolutionaries of Greece. Many of these artistic ob- jects are displayed for sale in art exhibitions and auctions «for the benefit of the Greeks», namely in order to collect money for the Greek Revolution, rendering thus the philhellenic art a well-intended engaged art.
Through this dissemination of philhellenic iconography across the visual culture of the West, the Greek Revolution became a fashion trend in daily life and aesthetics, a trend that, as a matter of fact, continued also after the liberation of Greece, until at least the mid 19th century.
Philhellenic art, about the Greek War of Independence, and in particular the philhellenic objects, constitute a unique phenom- enon in the global history of arts.
344 BEHOLDING LIBERTY!
II.8.D.1
French factory «Vieux Paris»
Miaoulis captures a Turkish ship
vase of multi-coloured porcelain with gold ornamentation, height 26 cm Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
II.8.D.2
French factory «Vieux Paris»
Greek Vanguard
vase of multi-coloured porcelain with gold ornamentation, height 29 cm Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
II.8.D.3
French factory “Vieux Paris”
The pistol shot
vase of multi-coloured porcelain with gold ornamentation, height 38 cm Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
II.8.D.4
French studio
The Oath of the Greek, ca. 1825-50
vase of porcelain, with hand-painted representation, height 30 cm Hellenic Parliament Art Collection, inv. n. 877
PHILHELLENIC IMAGERY found fertile ground in decorative vases. In the second quarter of the nineteenth cen- tury, French manufacturers, particularly of Vieux Paris porce- lain, produced ornate gilded vases, whose body was decorated with hand-painted images inspired by the Greek Revolution.
This vase features Miaoulis boarding a Turkish warship, a co- loured image made after the engraving on the same subject by Karl Loeillot; the subject also adorns a plate of the Montereau series.
A pensive warrior of the Greek vanguard stands guard, in black and white; others are talking in the background.
The Pistol depicts a cavalry duel between a Turk and a Greek; the latter shoots his opponent at point-blank range. In the background, a crowd scene is painstakingly rendered almost in miniature.
The Oath of the Greek is an image after the lithograph of the same title (Le Serment du Grec) by Karl Loeillot. In the centre, the fighter extends his hand towards the cross, while his wife kneels in prayer.