- Museum number
- 1842,0822.1
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured calyx-krater.
(a) Contest of Heracles and Apollo for the tripod. Heracles, nude and bearded, wearing only a fillet, moves to left with the tripod held across him in his left hand, so that the legs pass on each side of his body; he turns round as he moves, brandishing over his head in his right his club. Apollo strides forward, seizing with his left hand the lebes of the tripod, and with his right the club of his opponent; he also is nude, and wears his hair looped up (with a tress in front of the ear), and a laurel-wreath. Between them the fawn of Apollo looks up at the club of Heracles and shrinks backward. Each of the figures has a line drawn across the left ankle.
(b) Acamas and Demophon bringing back Aethra. Aethra is represented as an old bent woman in a long spotted dress of Ionic form, with a broad black stripe down the centre, and a heavy mantle gathered up over her shoulders, her hair looped up with a narrow fillet: she walks to left with the aid of a crutched staff in her right hand; beside her face is her name, ΑΕΘΡΑ, Αεθρα. Her left wrist is grasped by the right hand of Demophon (χειρ έπί καρπω), who helps her along, looking round at her. On the left Acamas follows as the rear guard, looking round to left as if to guard against attack. Each of the warriors is bearded, and has a short chiton decorated with minute crosses, a cuirass with scale pattern, a mantle falling from the shoulders in pteryges, sword at side, long hair falling loose, helmet, shield, and spear; the helmet of Demophon has visor and raised cheek-pieces; his shield has the device (in black silhouette) of a Centaur on a plinth, galloping to left, swinging with both hands over his back a pine tree; his greaves are decorated with spirals; beside his head, ΔΕΜΟΘΟΝ, Αημόφων. Acamas has a helmet tilted back, and a shield which is black with a red rim, and has for device a red-figure Pegasos prancing to left. The lower edges of his greaves are indicated, but the artist seems to have omitted the remainder. Beside his head, AKAMAΣ, Ακαμας. On the foot, an incised character.
Purple fillet, sword-belts, and inscriptions. The hair of Aethra has been painted white on black, with details in incised lines. Brown inner markings, pupil of eye; a brown wash is used for the coat of the fawn, the legs and ears (ωτα) of the tripod. The hair and beard of Heracles are indicated as short curls by raised dots of black paint. The eyes are in archaic type, with inner angle open; that of Heracles has a dotted pupil; both eyes in a have eyelashes along the upper and lower lids. The beards are long and wedge-shaped; nostrils indicated by a very faint black line; and the same is used for indicating the outline of the cheek of Aethra. The design is bordered above and below by a thin red line, within the moulding of the vase, the crest of Acamas alone exceeding it. At the bottom of the body is a band of tongue pattern.
- Production date
- 490BC-460BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 44.45 centimetres
-
Height: 40.64 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Mon. dell’ Inst, ii, pll. 25-6; Ann. Dell’ Inst. 1835, p. 242; Welcker, Alte Denkm. iii, p. 269; Stephani, Compte-Rendu, 1868, p. 43, no. 67; Overbeck, Kunstmyth. (Apollo), p. 94, no. 30, p. 402, no. 10; ibid. Atlas, pl. 24, 7; Heydemann, Iliupersis, p. 21, note 8a; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. pl. 26, no. 14, p. 633; Kretschmer, Gr. Vaseninschr. p. 126, no. 108; C.I.Gr. 7746.
For the incised character, Old Catalogue, pl. Β786.
- Location
- On display (G15/dc2)
- Acquisition date
- 1842
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1842,0822.1
