- Museum number
- 1843,1103.42
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured amphora type B.
(a) The Recognition of Theseus. Theseus, a beardless wreathed youth in a short undertied chiton, a mantle over his shoulders, petasos at back, sword hanging at side, and high endromides, stands en face, looking to left, holding two spears upright in his left hand. His right is grasped by Aegeus, an old man with white hair and beard, mantle and shoes, who leans forward on a staff, holding out in his left hand a rolled up band. Between these two figures Aithra stands to right, touching with finger-tips of both hands extended the chin of Theseus: she wears a long chiton untied, a mantle over her shoulders, earrings with triple pendants, and a radiated stephane. Behind Theseus on the right stands Pittheus, bearded, wreathed and draped in a mantle, and holding upright in his right his trident, of which the prongs are cut off by the border of the design: his long hair is looped up, and a single tress (parotis) falls beside the ear.
(b) Nike offering phiale to a youth. The youth, who stands en face in the centre, is attired as Theseus in a, but has a chlamys fastened with a brooch on right shoulder, instead of chiton and mantle, and a fillet instead of a wreath; his long hair is fastened in a horizontal plait along his neck, with a single parotis: he holds two spears upright in his right; he looks to right at Nike, who also stands en face, but looks at him, holding upon her right palm, on a level with her eyes, a large phiale: with her left she lifts the skirt of her drapery: she wears a long sleeved chiton with apoptygma and cross-belts (stethodesma), earrings with triple pendant, and a curiously formed stephane: her hair hangs loose, and has the ends fastened in a club with a fillet. On the left stands a bearded man, holding in his left a staff, closely draped in an himation out of which his right hand projects, with fingers extended, beside his chest: his head is bald in a Λ-shaped patch over each temple, and he wears a fillet with a straight piece over the forehead.
Fine style, with traces of archaism. Purple fillets. White is used for the hair of Aegeus, and thinned brown laid on it for his fillet. Brown inner markings, cord of petasos, and hair on Theseus' cheek. Eye in profile. The locks at the edge of Theseus' hair are drawn in black outline filled in with brown. The design curves up over the shoulder, and is enclosed in a panel each side, as follows: below, key pattern: above, linked lotus: at sides, net. Round the lowest part of the body, a band of black rays on red. A thin purple line runs round the vase below the designs and around the neck.
- Production date
- 480BC-460BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 50.80 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Wiener Vorlegebl. 1890-91, pl. viii. 1 a-c; cf. Knapp, Nike in der Vasenm. p. 17 and p. 55.
For other representations of the scene on a, see Jahn, Arch. Aufs. 185, 6; Heydemann, Anal. Thes. p. 13 ; and a vase described by Jatta in Accad. dei Lincei, 1893, p. 244; published by Petersen in Rom. Mitth., 1894, pl. 8, p. 229.
- Location
- On display (G69/dc38)
- Acquisition date
- 1843
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1843,1103.42
