Las Galas de Penélope (wedding gifts)
I’m feeling a bit on edge about the new trailer, and as I’m listening to the Odyssey audiobook in Spanish, the Segalá-Estalella translation, which is reminding me of all the lore in the Odyssey (I’ve always been more of a listener; reading is a real struggle for me 😭), I’ve drawn this. The gifts that the suitors give to Penelope were handed to me on a plate, and the best gift-giver is the one who will "marry" Penelope. It is said that all the suitors give gifts, but only four are described: Antinous, Eurymedon, Eurymachus and Pisander.
Examples of the same jewellery with variations in the shape of the pearl clusters (in Pabon's translation called tresillos🤩):
Penelope doesn't have a face because I wanted to portray her purely as a jewellery mannequin, as she'll probably never wear them in her life (or maybe she will, just to mess with everyone's heads JAJAJA).
So spoke Antinous, and his word was pleasing to them, and each man sent forth a herald to bring his gifts. For Antinous he brought a large and beautiful robe, richly broidered, and in it were golden brooches, twelve in all, fitted with curved clasps. And a chain did another straightway bring to Eurymachus, one cunningly wrought of gold, strung with amber beads, bright as the sun. A pair of earrings his squires brought to Eurydamas, with three clustering drops, and great grace shone therefrom. And out of the house of lord Peisander, son of Polyctor, his squire brought a necklace, a jewel exceeding fair. So of the Achaeans one brought one fair gift and one another. But she thereafter, the fair lady, went up to her upper chamber, and her handmaids bare for her the beautiful gifts.
The piece has been a bit of a stress-reliever and perhaps a bit too minimalist, but it’s been great fun. I drew inspiration from Mycenaean jewellery, and to make it even more exclusive, the pearls are pinkish river pearls of the Margarithera margathifera species (shoutout to @ulises-aithon), which aren’t found in Greece, and the amber is intended to be Baltic amber, which is said to have been the source of most amber in ancient times. I’m not too keen on the dress as it is, but I plan to add many more colours to it in the future and also draw inspiration from classical Greek jewellery.
Bronze eyelet-type pin, ca. 14th century BC, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gold jewelry from the Acropolis of Mycenae, ca. 1400-1300 BC, National Museum of Archaeology in Athens.
Gold jewellery from chamber tomb 15 of Dendra, 1400-1300 BC, Archaeological Museum of Nafplio.
Jewelry from the Stathatos Collection Gallery, ca. 2nd Millennium BC, National Archaeological Museum of Greece
Pearls of Margarithera margathifera (provided by @ulises-aithon)
Colouring of Baltic ambar from wikipedia.
