Artists working on the Derveni Krater adopted symbols of power from different cultures to create an overarching statement about the power of the conquering Macedonian empire and more specifically the aristocratic values of this patron.
As a funerary object, this Krater was intended to emphasize the elite status of the man buried within it. The Derveni Krater, as the creation of a northern craftsman residing in Macedonia, is a product of an international market that was able to integrate different symbols of elite power from diverse cultures to create a luxury object for an aristocratic class able to interpret royal symbols throughout the Macedonian empire.
Due to the elaborate repoussé decoration, it is perhaps most likely that this workshop had origins in the north, where elaborate metalwork had been created for centuries to honor the king. A workshop which was not new to Macedonia would be able to integrate more seamlessly the needs of a Macedonian patron into the stylistic trends of late fourth-century Macedonia, as well as learn the different forms and techniques required to create this elaborate vessel. The artist clearly understood the styles and influences of several different cultures, and it can be inferred, then, that this artist was in a workshop which had been working in Macedonia for some time. Although the precise workshop that made the Derveni Krater is unknown, it is most likely that it was created in Macedonia, the location of this merging of cultures and the home of patrons made wealthy by the spoils of Alexander and Philip II’s imperial ambitions. As artists settled in Macedonia and set up workshops, wealthy patrons were attracted to symbols of power and prestige from different cultures around the Greek world, which were then reproduced for the Macedonian elite. As different artists flocked to the cities of Macedonia, they were exposed to a wide variety of new artworks and artists, which influenced their future artistic production. The Derveni Krater reflects a culture of internationalization that characterized the initial stages of the formation of the Macedonian empire.
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