- Museum number
- 1848,0619.4
- Description
-
Pottery: black-figured amphora. Designs black on red panels, each with lotus and honeysuckle border along the top.
(a) Hermes slaying Argos: Hermes, near the centre, with petasos, chlamys, and short chiton with a skin over it, plants right foot on Argos' thigh, and attacks him with sword. Argos has a double head, like Janus; he is bearded, and wears a short chiton and over it a skin tied in front. Both these figures are partly restored. Behind Hermes is Hera to left with arms extended; she has long hair and a long chiton. At her near side stands the heifer Io to right. The figures are inscribed: [‘Aργ]oς, Eρμής, ‘Hρας.
(b) Combat of Heracles and Amazons: On the left an Amazon, probably Alkaia, with short chiton, cuirass, chlamys, anaxyrides, lofty helmet, Boeotian shield, and spear, is attacking Heracles from behind. He wears the lion's skin over his head and over a short purple chiton, and is about to plunge his sword into the neck of an Amazon (perhaps Andromache), whom he has beaten down on one knee. She is armed as the last one, with device of a tripod on her shield, and endeavours to defend herself with spear and shield, the latter of which Heracles has seized. On right is a warrior, perhaps Telamon (Mon. dell' Inst., l.c), bearded, with short chiton, cuirass, greaves, lofty visored helmet, and shield with device of two pellets, about to transfix with spear an Amazon beaten down on one knee to left; she has long hair, a short chiton and striped chlamys, high-crested helmet, shield and spear. The flesh of the Amazons is painted white, except the legs of the one on the extreme left.
- Production date
- 540BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 44.45 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Bull. dell’ Inst. 1839, p.21; Arch. Zeit. 1847, p.17, n. 3; Rev. Archeol. iii., p. 310; Engelmann, de Ione, Berlin, 1868, p.23; Overbeck, Kunstmyth. (Zeus), p. 476; Corey, Amaz. ant. fig, p.26; C.I.Gr. 7413.
For whole vase, cf. Roscher, p. 2202, and Corey, de Amazonum antiquis figuris (Berlin, 1890).
For Argos, cf. the description given by the author of the Αίγίμιος, quoted by Schol. Eur. Phoen. 1116 and Tzetz. ad Il. p. 153, 21: τέτρασιν όφθαλμοίσιν όρώμενον ένθα καί ένθα. For the inscriptions, cf. Vase Β254 (sc. είκών). For Andromache, cf. Mon. dell' Inst. xii. 9.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Badly damaged.
- Acquisition date
- 1848
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1848,0619.4
