- Museum number
- 1842,0314.3
- Description
-
Pottery: black-figured amphora: the death of Priam; Priam is being battered to death with the body of his grandson Astyanax.
Designs in black on red panels with interlacing lotus and honeysuckle pattern above. The sides of the handles are chequered black and red.
(a) Death of Priam: In the centre is Priam fallen to right on his back on the top of the altar of Zeus Herkeios, with white hair and beard, long purple chiton and embroidered himation, left hand raised in supplication to Neoptolemos, who stands over him to right. The latter is bearded and fully armed, with short embroidered chiton and Boeotian shield, and in right hand holds Astyanax by the right leg, about to hurl him on the ground; Astyanax is nude, and is represented on a small scale. Behind Priam is Hecuba to left, with long hair, fillet, long chiton, and diploidion, right hand raised to tear her hair, left extended in supplication. Behind her are two bearded figures, one moving to right, nude, looking back, the other has a fillet, long chiton, and striped himation. On the left is Andromache to right, with long hair, long striped chiton and diploidion, both arms raised; by her side a nude youth with long hair, running away to left and looking back (perhaps Polites).
(b) Contest of Theseus and the Minotaur: Theseus to right, bearded, with long hair, cuirass, short chiton, and sheath at side, holds the Minotaur round the neck with left hand, and plunges sword into him. The latter has a bull's head, and kneels on one knee to right, looking to left, with stone in left hand; blood flows from the wound. On either side, looking on, is a female figure with long hair, fillet, long chiton tied at the waist and himation, and a nude youth with hair tied in a club.
- Production date
- 550BC-540BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 465 millimetres
-
Weight: 4 kilograms (approx)
-
Width: 320 millimetres
-
Depth: 335 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Schneider, Tro. Sagenkr. p. 196; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. p. 623; Heydemann, lliupersis., p. 14, n. 3, and in Rom. Mittheil. J 888, p. 109; Wulff, Theseussage, p. 30.
For the death of Priam, cf. Vase Β241.
- Location
- On display (G69/dc41)
- Exhibition history
-
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
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
2016, 26 Jan-30 Oct, Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, Treasures: Adventures in Archaeology
2019-2020 21 Nov-8 Mar, London, BM, SEG, Troy
- Condition
- Badly damaged. Imperfectly fired.
- Acquisition date
- 1842
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1842,0314.3
