- Museum number
- 1837,0609.35
- Description
-
Pottery: black-figured hydria.
Designs in black on red panels, with borders of ivy down the sides and lotus-buds along the bottom; accessories of white and purple.
1. On the shoulder: Combat of Achilles and Memnon (?): Both are fully armed; Achilles has a Boeotian shield, Memnon's is circular, with device of a bent leg; they attack one another with spears. Between them lies the body of Antilochos, fallen on his face to right, left arm extended, and right leg drawn up; he is nude and beardless. Behind each is a female figure looking on, with long hair, fillet, long chiton and himation, hands raised to direct the spears; they are probably Thetis and Eos, the mothers of the heroes. On the left is a warrior departing, fully armed, with three pellets on shield; on the right is a nude beardless figure to left, with fillet, spear in right hand.
2. On the body: Dionysos reposing: In the centre a couch (legs inlaid with palmettes and stars, at the head Ionic capitals), on which reclines Dionysos, looking back to right; he has long tresses with ivy-wreath and a long pointed beard; over him is embroidered drapery. His left arm rests on a cushion, his right takes a cantharos offered to him by Hermes, who stands to left, bearded, with embroidered chlamys, petasos, endromides, and vine in left hand; by his near side is a Maenad with hair looped up under an ivy-wreath, long embroidered chiton and himation, right hand raised. By the side of the couch, and between it and a small table with food, stands a Satyr to right, ithyphallic, with long hair and ivy-wreath, playing with a plectrum on a chelys, from which hangs drapery; behind the Satyr is another to right, seizing a Maenad, as the last one, but with flowing hair. Behind them is Hephaestos to right, bearded, with long hair, ivy-wreath, long white chiton, striped himation, and endromides; left hand raised, in right a double-headed axe. In the field, branches, and below the couch, an uncertain object, perhaps a large keras.
- Production date
- 520BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 46.99 centimetres
-
Height: 450 millimetres
-
Weight: 4 kilograms (approx)
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Width: 365 millimetres
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Depth: 315 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
De Witte, Descr. No. 44.
The style closely resembles that of Vase BM B301, and belongs to the school of Pamphaios (cf. Β300; accessories faded as in Β301).
For (1), see Overbeck, Her. Bildw. p. 514 ff. For couch on (2), cf. BM Vase B301.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
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
- Acquisition date
- 1837
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1837,0609.35