The Wolfish Lover: The Dog as a Comic Metaphor in Homoerotic Symposium Pottery

Abstract

This paper examines the image of the pet dog on Greek red-figure pottery from the late archaic and early classical periods. At least half of the representations depict the dogs accompanying boys and men in the gymnasium, often in homoerotic scenarios. The article suggests that rather than being ancillary figures, contributing to a sense of realism in the background setting, the dogs themselves are visual metaphors for the erastes, adding an element of humor and tension to the scenes. In the absence of a depiction of an erastes, a dog may be shown as a comic metonymic stand-in for the pursuing lover. These images are varied and multi-layered, with polyvalent meanings. Considering the representations of dogs within the context of the humorously and erotically charged symposium helps us to understand the function and meaning of the dog as a visual joke referring to the comically aggressive or foolish erastes.