Pyxis with banquet of the gods and Judgment of Paris. Egypt, early 6th century. Ivory

Although both lid and base are missing, the piece is well preserved. Four vertical splits with rivet holes at top and bottom indicate old repairs. A modern core now holds the sections together.

The banquet of the gods is depicted in abbreviated fashion, and only Athena is clearly recognizable to the right of center. Presumably Poseidon is on the left, Zeus in the center, and Hera seated on the right. Behind hangs a cloth. On the extreme left a nude female figure stands behind the legs of Poseidon, with upraised arm holding an apple. This must be Discord (Eris), who cast the golden apple of the Hesperides into the conference of the gods. The apple is seen again on the three-legged, round table before Zeus. A dog barks at it. To the left Hermes, nude save for winged cap and boots, holds the kerykeion and carries the apple to the right, where the three goddesses—Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera—await the judgment. Paris is omitted. Aphrodite is shown nude, holding up her hair in the manner of the Hellenistic statue type of Aphrodite arranging her hair or preparing for a bath.

Next is Athena, identified by her helmet, aegis, spear, and shield. Her pose is also of classical derivation. Last comes Hera holding a staff, the top of which has been damaged by ancient repairs. She stands frontally and is heavily draped in chiton and mantle. Her right hand is set on her hip. On either side of Athena is a tree. To the left of Aphrodite is a vase with fruit (?) on an altar, to her right a basket. The basket may be intended to receive Aphrodite's clothes, but it and the vase to the left seem to have no function in the scene. Between Athena and Hera is a birdlike creature that turns its head to the latter goddess. This is probably a peacock, a bird commonly associated with Hera in Roman art.

The style of the pyxis clearly points to an origin in Egypt in the early sixth century. It resembles a Coptic ivory plaque of Apollo and Daphne in Ravenna (fig. 16). Although the pyxis is more classical than the plaque, its forms are rendered in a stiff fashion. A very similar piece is the Aphrodite-Adonis pyxis in Zurich (Volbach, 1976, no. 98).

Originally in the collection of Count G. Possenti, Fabriano, it passed into the Felix collection (sale, Florence, 1880). It was resold in 1886. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Volbach, 1976, no. 104.