La cithare rectangulaire dans la céramique apulienne: aspects morphologiques, symboliques et sociaux

Abstract

Based on a corpus of about 60 Apulian vases, the iconographic representations of the "rectangular cithara" are examined taking into account several dimensions: morphological, but also symbolic and social aspects, in order to put in relation the local musical culture and the singularities of the Apulian context. One approaches first the formal aspects of the representation of the instruments, as well as the iconographic variations and transformations observed during the 4th century. The study allows us to approach several aspects of social imagination of this stringed instrument such as funerary symbolism, love or issues related to male / female genders, and also to see how the evolution of instrumental building techniques goes hand in hand with pictorial innovations during the development of the ornate style in Taranto.