Davis illustrates both the compositional and stylistic differences between the cups, demonstrating that one appears to be Minoan and the other Mycenaean. Ellen Davis suggested that at least one of the cups was produced in mainland Greece. It had long been recognised that the cups were probably not by the same artist, and had stylistic differences. Michael Hogan notes that a charging bull painting is evocative of an image extant at the Palace of Knossos on Crete. As further support for the connection to Crete, C. It seems likely that these Vaphio Cups do not represent a local art but that at least one was imported from Crete, which at that early period was far ahead of mainland Greece in artistic development. Sir Kenneth Clark observed that even on such evolved works "the men are insignificant compared to the stupendous bulls". These "form perhaps the most perfect works of Mycenaean or Minoan art which have survived", according to Marcus Niebuhr Tod. The so-called "Violent Cup", showing netting of bulls, bears a remarkable resemblance to the description of the beginning of the ritual of consecration for the laws of Atlantis described in Plato's dialogue Critias, where bulls are captured for sacrifice, using no iron tools or weapons. In the other, the "Violent Cup", bulls are stampeded into nets, although one seems to escape, shoving catchers aside.
On one, with three scenes, a cow is used to lure a bull they mate, and a rear leg is then roped this is sometimes called the "Peaceful Cup" or the "Quiet Cup". The gold cups īy far the finest of the grave goods are a pair of golden cups decorated with scenes in relief, showing two different methods of capturing bulls, perhaps for the bull-leaping activities practised by the Minoan civilization of Crete, or for sacrifice. The princely figure buried there seems to have worn them on his wrists, like a modern charm bracelet. The 43 seals in the tomb include a variety of fine stones, and gold, and several have parallels in Cretan finds. Like Grave Circle A at Mycenae, the group has generated much discussion as to the origin of many pieces. Vaphio is the largest find in the Aegean of Mycenaen and Minoan seals (as opposed to "sealings" - impressions on clay). Sinclair Hood believed that at this date "it was broadly speaking possible to classify the finer seals as being of Cretan, the more crudely engraved of mainland manufacture", but that "this criterion no longer applies after the mainland conquest of Crete c. Many of the seals and rings found in the tholos have such strong affinities in style and subject matter with contemporary Minoan seals that archaeologists find it impossible to determine whether they were locally made or imported from Crete. The objects include a large number of carved gem seals and amethyst beads, together with articles in gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead, amber and crystal.
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