- Museum number
- 1843,1103.86
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured hydria.
(1) Menelaos pursuing Helen. Menelaos, a bearded warrior with cuirass, helmet with raised cheek-pieces, and himation, pursues to right with drawn sword and outstretched left arm Helen, who with left on bosom turns as she flees, extending her right towards him with a gesture of supplication. She wears a Doric chiton with border of zigzags and a row of dots near each edge, and apoptygma, undertied, an himation over her shoulders, earrings and sphendone: her hair hangs down her back. On right a woman in long sleeved chiton, mantle and earrings, and head-dress like that of Helen, moves to left, extending both arms as if to protect Helen. In the field above Helen, καλή. On left of her, ό παις; on right of the woman, KAΛΟΣ, καλός.
(2) On shoulder: Symposion. Three wreathed figures wearing himation covering the legs and left shoulder recline to left, leaning each against a folded striped cushion. The one on right is bearded, and looks to right, extending to left on his right palm a cotyle: the central one also looks to right with his right resting on his breast; the third looks to left and twirls aloft on his right forefinger a kylix (κοτταβίζων); between these two hangs a basket. In the field, ό παϊς καλός.
Strong style. Purple inscriptions, wreaths, cords of baskets. Eye archaic. The design on the body (1) is enclosed within a border formed by, below, pairs of maeanders separated by red cross squares; above, zigzag pattern; at sides, net pattern, which also forms the sides of the design 2; above 2, tongue. The lower part of the body is encircled by two thin lines of purple, and below, by a band of rays, black on red. The lip is left red.
- Production date
- 480BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 54.50 centimetres
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Width: 36.50 centimetres
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Depth: 28 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Heydemann, Iliupersis, p. 30, note 5, I.; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. p. 630, no. 117.
- Location
- On display (G20a/dc21)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2007 31 Mar-30 Jun, Gosport, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2007-2008 3 Nov-24 Feb, Leicester, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2008 29 Mar-1 Jun, Luton, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2008 20 Jun-5 Oct, Lincoln, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2008-2009 25 Oct-24 Jan, South Shields, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2009 7 Feb-4 May, Glasgow, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes
2017 13 Jul-15 Oct, Madrid, Caixa Forum, Ancient Greeks
2017-2018 23 Nov-18 Feb, Barcelona, Caixa Forum, Ancient Greeks
2018 20 Mar-24 Jun, Sevilla, Caixa Forum, Ancient Greeks
2018 24 Jul-4 Nov, Zaragoza, Caixa Forum, Ancient Greeks
2018-2019 18 Dec-31 Mar, Palma, Caixa Forum, Ancient Greeks
2019-2020 21 Nov-8 Mar, London, BM, SEG, Troy
2021 19 Jun-7 Nov, Australia, Perth, Western Australian Museum, Ancient Greeks
2021-2022 16 Dec-1 May, Australia, Canberra, National Museum of Australia, Ancient Greeks
2022 10 Jun-06 Nov, New Zealand, Auckland, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Ancient Greeks
2022-2024 24 Dec-25 Feb, China, Suzhou, Suzhou Museum, Ancient Greeks
- Acquisition date
- 1843
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1843,1103.86