- Museum number
- 1848,0801.1
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) with figure scenes on confined to a narrow, frieze-like band that encircles the lower element of the neck.
(a) Combat of Achilles and Hector in the presence of Athena and Apollo. On the left, Achilles (youthful) presses forward with shield advanced and spear shortened to deal a finishing stroke to Hector (bearded), who, bleeding from wounds in the chest and left thigh, sinks helplessly backwards, with shield extended to right and point of spear dropped; each has a helmet with raised cheek-pieces, and a sword at side attached to his cross-belt. Beside each is inscribed his name, AXIΛΛEYΣ, Άχιλλενς, HEKTOP (retr.), Έκτωρ. On the left, Athene, with long chiton decorated with crosses and a border at the knees, a mantle fastened on the right shoulder falling in pteryges, aegis dotted and edged with snakes, helmet, and spear on right arm, rushes forward with left arm outstretched, as if to encourage Achilles: beside her, her name, ΑΘΕΝΑΙΑ, Αθηναία. On the right Apollo, youthful, with a mass of long brown hair, fillet, and mantle, moves away to right, looking back and holding out in right an arrow pointed towards Hector, as if he were about to hurl it; in his right he holds a long bow, with a raised piece on the inner curve at the handle, and quiver at back; before him, his name, ΑΠΟΛΛΟΝ (retr.), Άττόλλων.
(b) Combat of Achilles and Memnon in the presence of Thetis and Eos. Achilles is as in (a), except that his helmet has cheek-pieces lowered and a nasal; inscription as before. Memnon is bearded, and has his mouth open, as if shouting: he rushes forward, covered with his shield foreshortened (device, a bull's head, half seen), with a sword drawn back in his right hand; his armour is the same as that of Hector; beside him, his name, MEMNON (retr.), Μεμνων. On the left Thetis rushes forward, her right hand, raised, her left extended, as if she were clapping her hands; her hair is long and brown, and confined with a fillet; she has a long chiton, a mantle over her shoulders, raised high around the back of the neck in a shell form, and bracelets; beside her, her name, ΘETIΣ, θέτις. On right, Eos runs forward, with her right extended, and with her left hand tearing her hair; she wears a long chiton decorated with crosses and a band of zigzags at knee, a mantle fastened on her right shoulder, a fillet and bracelets; beside her, her name, HEOΣ, Εως.
Purple inscriptions, blood fillet, sword-belts in (b), and bracelets. Brown inner markings, hair on cheek, folds on chiton of Thetis; and brown strokes for hair of Apollo and Thetis. Eye in archaic type. The designs occupy bands on each side of the neck, the figures being spread out to cover the long space. Over them, a moulding, on which is an elaborate pattern, a band of alternate palmette and flower interlaced, on a similar band inverted; over this, on the lip, alternate dotted cross squares and key patterns. The body is black, but has at the bottom a band of rays; on the moulded sides of the handles, ivy pattern; round each of the lower insertions, tongue pattern.
- Production date
- 490BC-460BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 46 centimetres
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Height: 63 centimetres
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Weight: 11.50 kilograms
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Archaol. Intell.-Blatt. 1836, p. 15; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. pl. 22, p. 452; Gerhard, A. V. iii, pl. 204, p. 112. Gerhard's drawing of (b) is reproduced in Roscher, s.v. Eos, p. 1271.
The type of Apollo in the scene on side a is reproduced, with slight differences, in three other vase-paintings of the same subject, given in Gerhard, A. V. iii, pl. 202. For Thetis' mantle, cf. the Amphitrite in the Euphronios cup, Klein, Euphronios2 p. 182. For Eos' hair, cf. Ε77. For the orthography of Eos' name, cf. Millingen, Anc. Uned. Mon. i, 6; Kretschmer Gr. Vaseninschr. p. 98.
- Location
- On display (G15/dc3)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2017, 4 Mar-11 Jun, Princeton University Art Museum, The Berlin Painter and his world: Athenian Vase-painting in the early fifth century BC
2017, 7 Jul-1 Oct, Toledo Museum of Art, The Berlin Painter and his world: Athenian Vase-painting in the early fifth century BC
2019-2020 21 Nov-8 Mar, London, BM, SEG, Troy
- Acquisition date
- 1848
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1848,0801.1
