Red-figured cup attributed to the Kodros Painter
Greek, about 440-430 BC
Made in Athens, Greece; found at Vulci, (Lazio, Italy)
Theseus, the all-Athenian hero
The decoration of both the inside and the outside of this cup is
dedicated entirely to illustrations of the deeds of the Athenian
hero, Theseus. In the tondo (central circular panel) he drags the
dead or dying Minotaur from the Labyrinth of Knossos, its maze of
passages suggested by the meander squares that decorate the
vertical panel at its entrance. Around this Theseus tackles
(clockwise from the top) Kerkyon, Prokrustes, Skiron, the Bull of
Marathon, Sinis and the Krommyonian Sow. The same groups (with the
exception of the Minotaur) are shown on the outside of the cup, in
corresponding positions, but seen from the other side.
Theseus was the embodiment of all that the Athenians thought
best and most distinctive about themselves. While his deeds were as
physically challenging as those of Herakles, he was also an
intellectual and a statesman. He was credited with the
establishment of the Panathenaic Festival of Athens and also with
the political consolidation of Attica and the foundation of
Athenian democracy.
M. Robertson, The art of vase-painting in Cl (Cambridge, 1992)
L. Burn, Greek myths (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)
J. Boardman, Athenian red figure vases: t-1 (London, The British Museum Press, 1989)