- Museum number
- 1772,0320.37
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured hydria (water-jar) showing a scene thought to have been inspired by Euripides' lost play Oineus.
Design red on black ground, with white accessories. On the neck, palmettes; on the shoulder, myrtle-wreath with a flower in the middle, and egg-moulding. Below the design all round, maeander and chequer; down the sides, chevron-pattern; at the back, palmettes and tendrils.
Agrios seized by Oineus: On the right is an altar on two steps, with dentils along the top; on it is seated Agrios to left, with legs drawn up and hands tied behind him, head bowed in dejection. He is bearded, and wears a sleeved embroidered chiton with border of wave- and other patterns and studs down the sleeves, girdle with white studs, bordered himation doubled under him, and endromides; above him is inscribed: ΑΓΡΙΟΣ (characters now scarcely visible). Over the altar hang a chaplet of beads and a bucranion; in front of it is seen the upper part of an Erinnys rising from the ground to left, with right hand raised. She is painted black, and has rough hair, black chiton with white girdle, and white wings with black markings; two white snakes are twisted round her head, and one round each arm. On the left of the altar are three figures to right: the first, Diomedes, looks back, and is beardless, with long curls, white pilos, short embroidered bordered chiton over left shoulder, white cross-belt and girdle, and endromides; in left hand a spear, in right he holds up a sheathed sword. Next is Periboia, with short hair, long girt bordered chiton and apoptygma to the hips, and sandals, looking back at Oineus, holding out left hand as if making some request, and laying right hand on his shoulder. Oineus draws back as if in surprise; he has white hair and beard, long girt sleeved chiton with palmettes and engrailed border, embroidered himation over left shoulder with border of wave-pattern, and endromides with studs, both hands extended, in right a staff.
Under each handle is a female head turned towards the design; the one on the left has close embroidered cap, earrings, necklace, chiton, and left hand raised; the other has hair in a knot, embroidered opisthosphendone, earrings, necklace, and bordered chiton, right hand raised.
- Production date
- 360BC-320BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 44.45 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
D'Hancarville, ii. pl. 41; Inghirami, Vasi Fitt. i. pl. 60; Boettiger, Furienmaske, p. 29; Jahn, Telephos und Troilos, p. 35; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. p. 733; Rosenberg, Die Erinyen, p. 59; Vogel, Scenen Eurip. Tragod. p. 125; Müller-Wieseler, Denkm. d. a. Kunst. ii. pl. 74, 957; Welcker, Alte Denkm. iii. p. 375 ff.; Jahn, Vasensamml. zu München, p. ccxxv. note 1410.
Vogel's interpretation has been adopted here on account of the inscribed figure Agrios; cf. Schol. in Ar. Ach. 418, Anton. Liber. Transformat. 37, Apollod. i. 8, 6, and the Οίνευς of Euripides; but the interpretation of the Old Catalogue (Orestes on the altar of the Tauric Artemis) seems equally suitable. For the Erinnys, cf. Roscher, i. p. 1335; Rosenberg, l.c. p. 53, no. A, 2; Müller-Wieseler, Denkm. d. a. Kunst, ii. 862.
Additional bibliography: O. Taplin, Pots & Plays. Interactions between tragedy and Greek vase-painting in the fourth century B.C. (Los Angeles, 2007), no. 70.
- Location
- On display (G69/dc21)
- Acquisition date
- 1772
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1772,0320.37
