- Museum number
- 1837,0609.58
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured kylix.
Interior: Within a thin red circle, meeting of Theseus and Ariadne (?). Theseus stands to right playing on chelys; he is wreathed, and has long hair, and an himation. Confronting him is Ariadne, holding a flower in her right, and with her left raising the hem of her dress. She has her hair looped up with fillet, earrings, chiton, and a mantle fastened on right shoulder and decorated with an embattled border, the folds terminating in studs. Above, Χαίρε σύ. The figures stand on a thin red line, separating them from a small exergue.
Exterior: (a) Theseus carrying off Antiope. On left is a quadriga, into which Theseus steps, holding in right reins and whip, in left reins and two spears; he is wreathed and wears a cuirass, a mantle over his shoulders, and greaves: his left arm is thrown around the waist and right arm of Antiope, who holds in her left a bow, and who wears a high peaked kidaris, round which is a wreath, earrings, Phrygian dress, and a quiver, gorytos, hanging at her waist from a cross-belt: her tunic is decorated with a zigzag pattern, her anaxyrides with eyes set vertically: beside her, ANTIOΠEIA, Άντισπεια. On right two warriors advance; the foremost, Peirithoös, in a short chiton with a deep fringe, a cuirass decorated with a black lion on the shoulder strap, greaves, and a helmet tilted back, holds in left two spears and a shield (no device); beside him, Πε(ι)ρίθ(ο)ος. His companion Phorbas, in similar dress, holds only a spear, and looks back: his chiton and cuirass have no decoration, but a sword at his waist is ornamented on the upper part of the scabbard with two springing lions confronted. In front of him: Φόρβας.
(b) A youth on left in a mantle, leaning on a knotted staff, converses with a girl confronting him, in long chiton, himation, bracelets, and sandals, who holds in her left a flower and extends her right towards him: the heads of both these figures are wanting. On either side, a boy with a switch on his shoulder, on horse-back. Above, on the right Χαχ[ρ]υλίων.
Purple is used for headdress, flowers, bracelets, sandals, switches, spears, and horse-trappings; for plectrum and cord in interior; the sword-belts and one horse's tail in a. Incised lines are used only for the chords of the lyre, and half the outline of the girl's hair in interior, and for the outline of the purple horse's tail. The hair of Theseus and Peirithoös in a has the upper part drawn in silhouette, from which falls a series of parallel wavy locks. No brown inner markings. Drapery somewhat mannered; the front part falls in regular pteryges, the back part with a wavy outline. Below the handles, an ornament composed of three upright palmettes, with purple-outlined centres, and two lotus flowers.
- Production date
- 520BC-500BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 33.02 centimetres
-
Height: 15.24 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
De Witte, Descr. no. 115. Wiener Vorlegebl. Series D, pl. 7; Klein, Meistersig.2 p. 127, no. 8; Brunn, Künstlergesch. ii, p. 702, no. 5; Gerhard, Rapp. Volc. 705; Harrison and Verrall, p. cxxii, fig. 26 (Interior), p. cxxxix, fig. 36 (a); Museo Ital. iii, pp. 236 and 275, p. 276 (interior); Murray, Designs from Greek Vases, no. 26 (interior), p. 9, fig. 3 (exterior a); Robert, Bild und Lied, p. 112; Corey, Amaz. Ant. Fig. p. 44; Hartwig, Meistersch. p. 19.
The word έποίησεν may have stood in the portion of the vase above the heads of the central group, now missing. For the interior scene, cf. the description by Pausanias (v. 19, 1) of the subjects on the chest of Kypselos : ‘Theseus holding a lyre, and near him Ariadne holding a crown in her hand.’ Theseus playing a lyre at the head of a choros of dancers in connection with the myth of the Minotaur occurs on the Frangois vase, the Polledrara Hydria, and elsewhere, but the phrase χαίρε συ, if it is to be taken as part of the subject, seems rather to point to a scene of ordinary life; the same inscription occurs on a red-figure vase, Canino Cat. no. 547.
- Location
- On display (G20a/dc2/shC)
- Condition
- Much broken, but only a small fragment of b lost. Modern foot removed.
- Acquisition date
- 1837
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1837,0609.58
