- Museum number
- 1856,1226.1
- Description
-
Apulian pottery red-figured volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water).
Designs red, white, yellow, and purple, on black ground. On the lip, egg-moulding; underneath, wave-pattern. On the neck, above the designs, (a) dentils in perspective, edged with white; (b) laurel-wreath. Below the handles, palmettes; below the designs, all round, maeander; above each, tongue-pattern and egg-moulding. The handles terminate below in swans' heads, and above in Gorgoneia; those in front, white with yellow hair; those at the back, black throughout.
On the neck: (a) Female head to the front inclined to right, with a Phrygian cap tied under the chin, and long curls, the face white with features in yellow, and the cap red. It rests on a large purple flower which spreads out into tendrils and blossoms on either side. (b) Female head to left with hair in a bunch behind, radiated and striped open cap, earrings, and necklace, resting on the calyx of a flower; on either side, palmettes.
(a) Death of Hippolytos: On the lower level is Hippolytos driving in a quadriga at full speed to right, with two white and two yellow horses, all having top-knots; the quadriga and harness are painted purple, the wheels and axle white. Hippolytos is beardless, and holds the goad in right hand and reins in left; his hair floats behind, and he wears a cross-belt with white studs and embroidered white girdle, which holds up a himation round his lower limbs. Below the horses are visible the head and upper part of the body of a bull to left, painted white with yellow markings. Behind Hippolytos is a paidagogos moving to right; he is bald, with white hair and beard, and wears short bordered chiton with stripes down the sides, yellow chlamys with broad purple border, fastened by a.fibula on the right shoulder, white sleeved under-garment, and laced-up endromides with tops turned over; in right hand a white stick, left extended as if in supplication; behind him is the stump of a tree. At the horses' heads is Lyssa to left, with floating hair, in which are twined snakes; she wears a fillet, earrings, necklace, sleeved chiton reaching to the knees with engrailed border round the breast, embroidered cross-belt, skin of some animal over right arm, and endromides (as the last figure). In her left hand she brandishes a blazing torch, and with right she seizes the mane of the first horse; round each arm a snake is twisted. On the ground are flowers and stones.
Above are deities as spectators of the scene; on the left is Pan to right, beardless, with short horns, beaded fillet, chlamys under left arm and between legs, left hand resting on a rock, in right he holds out a syrinx. Facing him is seated Apollo, beardless, with laurel-wreath, bordered drapery under him, laurel-branch in left hand, bow in right; below him, a purple quiver with white ends and thong by which to hang it. Next is Athene to the front, looking to right, with left leg crossed in front of right; her hair is gathered in a mass behind under an embroidered cap, and she wears earrings, double necklace, bracelets, long chiton and apoptygma fastened on the shoulders, and white shoes. Her left arm rests on her shield (yellow with black rim) and holds a spear; in right hand she holds up her high-crested helmet. Next is Aphrodite seated to right, looking round at Athene; she has hair as Athene, earrings, double necklace, bracelets, long chiton, himation which she draws forward with right hand, and white embroidered shoes; below her is a mirror. At her left side is a small figure of Eros, whom she embraces with left arm; he has hair as the last two, earrings, necklace, bracelets, strings of beads over left shoulder and round right thigh, wings spread, with white markings. In left hand he holds out a phiale from which hangs a taenia with the magic wheel attached. Before Aphrodite sits Poseidon to left, bearded, with curly hair, radiated fillet, bordered himation under him, trident in left hand (shaft ornamented with dots), right hand extended to Eros; below him is a large flower (of convolvulus type). Above the scene are four stars of eight points, and a bucranion; ground-lines indicated by white dots.
(b) Offerings at heroon: An Ionic distyle heroon painted white, the interior left red; the pediment has a white disk painted in the tympanon, and anthemia; on the base is a spiral pattern in white on red. In it is a statue of a youth seated to left wearing a wreath, with drapery under him, and two spears in left hand; in right he holds up a white pilos; below him is a phiale, and behind, an embroidered taenia. Below, on the left, a female figure rushes up, holding a wreath in right hand and in left a pyxis (two rows of chevrons) and embroidered taenia) she has short curly hair, and wears a beaded fillet, earrings, necklace, bracelets, long girt chiton with a stripe down the side, and shoes ornamented with studs. Above her is a youth seated on drapery to left, looking back, with embroidered fillet ornamented with trefoils, embroidered taenia in left hand, in right a flat basket (ornamented with chevrons) containing offerings; in the field are two rosettes and a phiale. On the right below a youth rushes up, with fillet as last, chlamys on left arm, and laurel-branch in left hand, holding out a wreath in right hand; in front of him is an embroidered taenia, and below him a flower. Above is a female figure seated to left, with hair gathered in a mass under an embroidered cap, earrings, double necklace, bracelets, long girt chiton fastened on the shoulders, himation over lower limbs, and white shoes; in right hand she holds out a yellow taenia and a box with open lid, in left a wreath; above her is a rosette, and behind, an embroidered taenia.
- Production date
- 340BC-320BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Circumference: 50.20 centimetres (Rim)
-
Height: 107.80 centimetres
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Weight: 22.50 kilograms
-
Width: 60 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Arch. Zeit. 1883, pl. 6, p. 43 ff.; ibid. 1848, p. 245; Harrison and Verrall, p. clii.; Magazine of Art, v. p. 372; Vogel, Scenen Eurip. Tragod. p. 65; Korte, Personifik. psychol. Affekte, p. 36; Overbeck, Kunstmyth. (Apollo), p. 327; Rosenberg, Die Erinyen, p. 71; Roscher, i. p. 2684; Bloch, die zuschauenden Goiter, p. 32. Cf. Stephani, Compte-Rendu, 1862, p. 144.
For Lyssa, cf. BM Vase F271.
For the taenia with magic wheel, see BM Vases F223 and cf. F331 and El. Cer. ii. p. 72.
The scene on a may have been suggested by the picture by Antiphilos (Pliny, N. H. xxxv. 114); cf. also Philostratus, Imag. ii. 4, and Eur. Hipp. 1198 ff.
[Handwritten note] Cleaned; overpainting removed. Foot alien. March '66.]
Additional bibliography: O. Taplin, Pots & Plays. Interactions between tragedy and Greek vase-painting in the fourth century B.C. (Los Angeles, 2007), no. 42.
- Location
- On display (G73/dc74)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
'Enduring Myth: The Tragedy of Hippolytus and Phaidra', The Getty Villa, 24.8.06-4.12.06
2017, 8 Mar-25 Jun, New York, Onassis Foundation, Emotions in Ancient Greece
2017, July-Nov, Athens, Acropolis Museum, A World of Emotion: Ancient Greece, 700BC-200AD
- Acquisition date
- 1856
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1856,1226.1
