- Museum number
- 1865,0103.22
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured volute-krater.
(a) Ajax seizing Cassandra at the Palladion. The image of the goddess stands in the centre on a double plinth; the feet, which are only suggested in the drawing, are close together; the pose is that of an archaic xoanon (wooden cult figurine), but the drapery, right arm and head, are quite free in treatment; the image stands en face, dressed in a long chiton with apoptygma, of which the skirt is decorated with a central band and two vertical rows of circles, and a short calathos spreading outwards; the spear is held across the body, as though she were striking downwards to right, and the shield has for device a horse (? seen in perspective) galloping to left; the hair is arranged over the forehead in a row of large formal curls. At the base of this on the right a woman (in the act of fleeing to left) has fallen and extends both arms to left, one on each side of the statue; on the left another woman flees, looking back and extending both arms; these two figures (perhaps Medesicaste and Polyxena) are dressed in Doric chiton with apoptygma, and saccos. On the right Ajax, beardless, with helmet tilted back, short chiton, cuirass, mantle at back over arms, spear and shield (device, a snake coiled, to left), runs to left, pursuing Cassandra, who extends both arms towards the Palladion; his right hand already grasps her long hair; she wears long chiton with sleeves undertied.
(b) Departure of a youth. On the left Nike stands en face in long sleeved chiton, himation fastened on right shoulder, hair looped up with dotted fillet, wings spread on each side, resting left on the edge of a shield, and holding in right an oinochoe; she looks to right towards a youth in a short tied chiton, and radiated fillet, with mantle on left arm and petasos hanging at back, two spears in his left hand, who holds out in right a phiale towards her. Behind him a bearded man wreathed with laurel, wearing long sleeved chiton and himation, who looks on, holding upright in his right a staff; his hair has probably been white, now faded. On the right stands a woman holding a sceptre upright in her right; she wears a long sleeved chiton and an himation, and her hair is looped up with a radiated stephane decorated with maeander pattern.
Late style. Surface discoloured by fire. Below, a band of maeanders broken by chequered squares; round shoulder, tongue-pattern; on moulding above neck, band of oblique pairs of palmettes back-to-back. Below handles, double palmette with tendrils. On moulded sides of handles, ivy pattern.
- Production date
- 460BC-450BC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 29.20 centimetres
-
Height: 52.70 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
Raoul-Rochette, Mon. Ined. i, pl. 60, p. 321 ff.; Arch. Zeit. 1848, pl. 14, 2; Overbeck, Her. Bildw. pl. 27, no. 4, p. 641; all these give (a). For (b), see Rochette, loc. cit., p. 323; Welcker in Rhein. Mus. iii, p. 493; and Arch. Zeit. 1848, p. 215, note 40. See also Arch. Zeit. 1866, p. 245*; Bull. Arch. Nap. 1858, p. 146; Heydemann, Iliupersis, p. 19, and p. 29, note 4; Daremberg and Saglio, i, p. 787 (figure of Athene).
For the calathos worn by Athene, cf. BM Vase G17 and a coin of Ilion in Muller-Wieseler, Denkm. d. a. Kuust, ii, 21, 221.
- Location
- On display (G20a/dc5)
- Acquisition date
- 1865
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1865,0103.22
