- Museum number
- 1867,0508.1132
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured covered kantharos, with closed-in top, at one side of which is an aperture 3.2 cm long by 1.9 cm, communicating with the centre of the bottom by means of a shaft walled off from the interior.
The lid is painted black and decorated with concentric mouldings: in its centre is a moulded Gorgon mask (3.2 cm diameter) painted white with black hair and red tongue.
(a) Odysseus and Nausicaa. On the left Odysseus, nude, with rough hair and beard, stands as if in astonishment, holding a long beaded fillet (the credemnon) in both hands: he gazes at Nausicaa, who sinks away on the right, looking back at him; she wears a Doric chiton with apoptygma, and her hair is knotted behind with a fillet wound thrice round it. Beside Odysseus is inscribed his name, ΟΔΥΣΕΥΣ, Όδυσεύς. Beside Nausicaa, KAΛΕ, καλή.
(b) Oedipus and the Sphinx. On a high rock on the left, drawn in purple outline, the Sphinx is seated to right, her long hair knotted behind with a fillet, which has a vertical piece over the forehead: her fore and hind legs join on to her body like the arms and legs of a woman. In front of her stands Oedipus, beardless, en face, but looking towards her, his left hand on his hip, his right holding two spears: he wears a chlamys, fillet, a petasos hanging at his back, and high endromides.
Purple inscriptions, fillet, belt, and rock. Brown markings. Eye in profile.
- Production date
- 440BC-430BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 25.40 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Musée Blacas, pl. xii, p. 38; Inghirami, Gal. Om. iii, 24; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. pl. xxxi, 1, p. 34, no; 37 (wrongly described as an amphora), and p. 754, no. 5; Ritschl, Ino Leukothea, 1865, p. 19, pl. 2, 3; cf. Gerhard, A. V. iii, p. 132; Ann. dell’ Inst. 1829, p. 277, and 1876, p. 350; Bull, dell’ Inst. 1838, p. 12; Baumeister, p. 1037; Bolte, De Monum. ad Odyss. pert. p. 37; C.I.Gr. no. 7698.
The scene on b is almost identical with Overbeck, Her. Bildw. pl. i, 16. For the construction of this vase see Arch. Anzeiger (vii), 1892, p. 24, where a similar vase in Berlin is described, but with a low foot; it is there stated that vases of the same kind are used at this day (i.e. 1898) in Cyprus.
- Location
- On display (G69/dc42)
- Acquisition date
- 1867
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1867,0508.1132