- Museum number
- 1836,0224.116
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured kylix.
Interior: Within a thin red circle, a youth wreathed, in a mantle decorated with trefoils hanging from shoulders, holding curved keras in right, leaning left on knotted staff, walks to left, looking back. On left HOΠΙΣ (sic); on right KAΛΟΣ, ό π[α]ίς καλός.
Exterior: (a) Contests of Theseus: (i from left) Marathonian Bull to left, head tied down to right forefoot, hobbles on fore and hind feet, cords attached to nose, hind feet, and scrotum, which Theseus draws tight, one in each hand: his hair is looped up with a band; above hangs his cap. In the centre is a gnarled tree with branches hanging over to left: then (ii) Sow of Crommyon (here represented as a boar) dragged to left by Theseus, by a cord which fastens its two hind legs together. Theseus wears a fillet and a scabbard, and. brandishes over his head a long kopis; he looks round towards Hermes, who rushes forward, extending his caduceus: the head and shoulders of Hermes are lost. Across the two scenes inscribed HOΠΑΙΣΚΑΛ…, ό παίς καλός (?)
(b) The same, continued: (iii) Procrustes (bearded, fillet) has fallen to right on the side of a mountain: he looks round at Theseus, who seizes his right arm and swings an axe: on the body of Procrustes are a number of brown lines indicating hairy surface (?), and two jets of purple blood flow from a wound in his right side. Above the mountain hangs the hat of Theseus, (iv) Kerkyon (wreathed and bearded) is lifted off his legs in a horizontal position by Theseus, who, with chin resting against his adversary's shoulder-blade, has locked his arms around his chest and crushes him to death. The left arm of Kerkyon is passed round the back of Theseus, the right arm vainly tries to reach the ground. Above, the cap of Theseus, (v) The Minotaur, fleeing to right with stone in left, is dragged back by Theseus, who, sword in hand, seizes him by the right wrist. In each scene and below each handle of the vase an inscription which seems to be a variation of the word KAΛΟΣ, καλός.
Theseus throughout (except in i) has hair looped up and bound with fillet, and whiskers indicated in brown. In (i) the hair is painted in wavy parallel lines of reddish brown on red ground. Purple is used for inscriptions, blood, hat strings, wreaths and fillet (except in i, where it is left black, and in iv, where it is red). Outline of hair always incised (except in i). Brown inner markings for anatomy of the two end figures in a, and for the Minotaur in b: also for body of Procrustes and bull, and mane of boar.
- Production date
- 520BC-510BC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 29.20 centimetres
-
Height: 10.75 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Murray, Designs from Greek Vases, no. 21; Klein, Euphronios,2 p. 196 (e); cf. Gurlitt, Das Alter der Bildw. des Thes. p. 43 e, who by an error has omitted v, and puts this vase among ‘Vasen mit 4 Darstellungen’: also Museo Ital. iii, p. 235.
- Location
- On display (G20a/dc1)
- Condition
- Much broken.
- Acquisition date
- 1836
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1836,0224.116
