amphora

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Object Type
Museum number: 1836,0224.103
Description: Pottery: black-figured amphora. Designs in black on red panels with interlacing lotus and honeysuckle pattern above. On the handles double lotus and honeysuckle pattern, black, purple and white; on the sides of the handles, rosettes. (a) Contest of Heracles and Geryon: Heracles to right, with lion's skin over short purple chiton, sheath at side, club and quiver at back, attacks Geryon with sword. Geryon here consists of three bodies fully armed, the one on the right and the one in the middle having high-crested helmets; they have short embroidered chitons, spears, and shields; the shield of the one on the left is white with a purple rim, and has the device of an eagle flying to left with snake in mouth, in black and purple. The middle body falls back mortally wounded. Between the combatants is Eurytion fallen to right, full face, bearded, with pilos, short chiton and skin over it tied in front; his dog Orthros, also wounded, is fallen backwards upon him; blood flows from the wounds of both. (b) Quadriga to front, the horses turning to right, in which are a charioteer with pilos, long white chiton and nebris, shield at back, and a parabates looking to right with high-crested helmet, cuirass, and spear; on the horses' heads are top-knots.
Cultures/periods: Archaic Greek; Attic
Production date: 540BC (circa)
Findspot: Excavated/Findspot: Vulci
Materials
Ware
Technique: painted; incised
Dimensions: Diameter: 280 millimetres; Height: 41.25 centimetres; Height: 413 millimetres; Weight: 3 kilograms (approx)
Curator's comments: BM Cat. Vases For the form of Geryon, cf. Vase B156.
Bibliographic references: Vase / Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum (B194); Old Catalogue / A Catalogue of the Greek and Etruscan Vases in the British Museum (602); CVA British Museum 3 / Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain 4, British Museum 3 (III H e Pl. 37, 1)
Location: Not on display
Exhibition history: Masters & 2 Exhibited: 2008 1 May-12 Jul, Shanghai, The Ancient Olympic Games 2008 2 Aug-31 Sep, Hong Kong, The Ancient Olympic Games 2009 2 Apr-13 Oct, Alicante, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2010 30 Apr-30 Aug, Seoul, National Museum of Korea, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought Exhibited: 2009 2 Apr-13 Oct, Alicante, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2010 30 Apr-30 Aug, Seoul, National Museum of Korea, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2010-2011 15 Oct-07 Feb, Taipei, The National Palace Museum, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2010-2011, 11 Mar-12 Jun, Kobe City Museum, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2011, 4 July-25 Sept, Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2011-2012, 25 Oct-12 Feb, Mexico City, National Anthropological Museum, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2012-2013 6 Oct-6 Jan, Portland Art Museum, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2013, 6 May–6 Oct, Dallas Museum of Art, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2014, 21 Feb-9 Jun, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greek Art and Thought 2014, 2 Aug–9 Nov, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia, The Body Beautiful in Greek Art and Thought 2015, 26 Mar-5 Jul, The British Museum, Defining Beauty: the body in ancient Greek art
Subjects: classical deity; classical mythology; charioteer/chariot; mythical figure/creature; single combat
Associated names: Representation of: Herakles/Hercules; Representation of: Geryon; Representation of: Eurytion
Acquisition name: Purchased from: Edmé Antoine Durand (sale); Purchased through: Peter Oluf Brøndsted
Acquisition date: 1836
Department: Greek and Roman
Registration number: 1836,0224.103
Conservation

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