- Museum number
- 1881,0528.1
- Description
-
Pottery: red-figured cup, with white ground.
Interior: The making of Pandora. In the centre Pandora (also known as Anesidora) stands en face, in a stiff attitude like an archaic xoanon (wooden cult image), with feet together and hands at sides; with each hand she raises slightly an edge of her drapery; over her is inscribed her name, •ΝΕΣΙΔΟΡΑ, Ά]νησίδωρα. She looks to the left and wears a long sleeved chiton undertied and decorated with stars; her hair falls loose on her shoulders, confined with a fillet, which apparently Hephaestos has just placed there; Athene appears to be fastening the chiton of Pandora on her shoulders. The two deities are taller than Pandora. Athene on the left wears a long chiton tied up at the waist with a girdle, the ends of which fall in front under the upper fold of the chiton; round her shoulders is the aegis fringed with snakes and set with Gorgoneion on the breast. The aegis is decorated with a diaper pattern instead of scales. Over her is her name, ΑΘΕΝΑΑ, Άθηνάα. Hephaestos wears a somewhat scanty himation, and holds in his left hanging at his side a hammer; his hair is short at the back, but has the ends passed over the ears and confined with a gilded fillet. Behind him is his name, HEΦΑ.ΣTO$, ‘Hφα[ί]στος. The figures rest on a thin black ground-line cutting off an exergue left empty.
Exterior: (a) Scene in the palaestra (?). In the centre a horse standing to right is approached by two ephebi, of whom the foremost, wearing chlamys, fillet, and petasos hanging at his back, with a spear on his left arm, holds in his right a halter, which seems to be attached to the bit. The other is closely draped in an himation, and carries on his left arm a crutched staff, the handle pointing obliquely downwards; he wears a fillet. Beside the horse in the background stands a woman to left in a long sleeved chiton, himation, saccos, and stephane, who holds up in her right a honeysuckle-flower. Confronting her is a bearded man in himation and fillet, with right hand resting on his hip, leaning against a staff, who offers her with his left a purse.
(b) Similar scene. The horse occurs as before, but is turned to left; beside it in the background is an ephebos in an himation and fillet, with a staff in his right, standing en face, but looking to left at an ephebos who moves away, looking back and leading the horse by a halter in his left; he carries a spear and
wears chlamys, fillet, and petasos at his back. On left is a woman in long chiton and himation, hair knotted with a fillet, raising to her face with her right a flower. On the right of the horse are two figures: a woman in long sleeved chiton, himation, and radiated sphendone, holding out a phiale in her left, pours wine on the ground from a jug in her right; facing her on the right is an old man in long chiton, himation and fillet, who stands en face, but looks at the last figure, leaning with his right shoulder against a crutched staff; from his open mouth and the gesture of his left he seems to be addressing her.
Portions of both the exterior and interior designs are missing. In the interior the right arm of Athene and the greater part of the heads of Athene and Pandora have been restored in pencil, part of the chiton of Pandora in water-colour. Fine broad style, a late stage of the severe. The interior is covered with a white engobe, and has a thin brown circle drawn within 1 in. of the lip, and forming the border of the design. Drawing in black outline, with inner details in brown; hair in black silhouette or strokes on a wash of brown; the dresses of Pandora and Hephaestos are brown with details in purple and white; the borders, and the girdle of Athene, purple; the aegis of Athene is a darker brown, with border and Gorgoneion drawn on it in white. The headdresses and the head of the hammer are moulded and gilt on a raised ground. Eye of transition type (pupil as dot against inner angle opened). The finger-nails are drawn in. The exterior has red figures on a black ground, with fillets, wine, and cords in purple. Hair and beard of old man in white. Below, a band of maeander broken by red cross squares; below each handle, a double palmette ornament.
- Production date
- 470BC-460BC (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 31.10 centimetres
-
Height: 12.70 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- BM Cat. Vases
White Athenian Vases, pl. 19; De Witte, Cat. Magnoncourt, no. 9; Gerhard, Festgedankenan Winckelmann, pl. 1, p. 5; El. Cér. iii, pl. 44, pp. 151 and 159; Roscher, s. v. Hephaistos, p. 2058; Harrison and Verrall, p. 450, fig. 50; cf. Bull. dell’ Inst. 1829, p. 19; Klein, Euphronios2, p. 251; Jahn, Arch. Aufs. p. 132; Kretschmer, Vaseninschr. p. 203, no. 187; Hartwig, Meistersch. p. 500, no. 9; Rayet and Collignom p. 222; J.H.S. xi. p. 279; Murray, Handbook of Gk. Archaeology, p. 95; Jahn, Vasens. zu München, p. lviii, no. 381; C.I.Gr. 7416.
For the subject of a, cf. Hesiod, Theog. 573-580.
For the style of the exterior scenes cf. Arch. Zeit. 1880, pl. 15; Gerhard, A. V. iii, pl. 229-30; iv, pl. 291, 1-2.
- Location
- On display (G20a/dc3)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery, Pandora's Box-Women in Classical Greece
Dallas Museum of Art, Pandora's Box-Women in Classical Greece
Basle, Antikenmuseum, Pandora's Box-Women in Classical Greece
- Acquisition date
- 1881
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1881,0528.1
