Metropolitan Museum III

Terracotta amphora (jar) Attributed to the Gallatin Painter Period: Classical Date: ca. 480 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 14 7/16 in. (36.7 cm); diameter 10 13/16 in. (27.4 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1941 Accession Number: 41.162.101 Description: Obverse, Theseus killing the brigand Skiron Reverse, Theseus slaying the Minotaur The exploits of Theseus differ from those of Herakles in that Theseus's major deeds had to do with the fortunes of Athens during its mythical past. The killing of Skiron occurred as Theseus was on his way to assert an ancestral claim to Attica. Skiron forced travelers to wash his feet and, while they were thus occupied, he kicked them into the sea. Later, Theseus killed the Minotaur to liberate Attica from Cretan domination. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta amphora (jar) Attributed to the Gallatin Painter Period: Classical Date: ca. 480 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 14 7/16 in. (36.7 cm); diameter 10 13/16 in. (27.4 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1941 Accession Number: 41.162.101 Description: Obverse, Theseus killing the brigand Skiron Reverse, Theseus slaying the Minotaur The exploits of Theseus differ from those of Herakles in that Theseus's major deeds had to do with the fortunes of Athens during its mythical past. The killing of Skiron occurred as Theseus was on his way to assert an ancestral claim to Attica. Skiron forced travelers to wash his feet and, while they were thus occupied, he kicked them into the sea. Later, Theseus killed the Minotaur to liberate Attica from Cretan domination. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) Attributed to the Achilles Painter Period: Classical Date: ca. 440 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 14 3/4 in. (37.39 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 Accession Number: 1989.281.72 Description: Mourner and the deceased at tomb This vase exemplifies Attic white-ground funerary lekythoi at their finest. Funerary representations of the sixth century B.C. depicted the deceased surrounded by mourners. By the middle of the fifth century, the deceased was shown either as living or not at all. The figure at the left is a mourner; the deceased is identifiable by the diminutive soul fluttering above his head. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) Attributed to the Achilles Painter Period: Classical Date: ca. 440 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 14 3/4 in. (37.39 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 Accession Number: 1989.281.72 Description: Mourner and the deceased at tomb This vase exemplifies Attic white-ground funerary lekythoi at their finest. Funerary representations of the sixth century B.C. depicted the deceased surrounded by mourners. By the middle of the fifth century, the deceased was shown either as living or not at all. The figure at the left is a mourner; the deceased is identifiable by the diminutive soul fluttering above his head. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta squat lekythos (oil flask) Attributed to the Painter of Munich 2363 Period: Classical Date: ca. 440–430 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1939 Accession Number: 39.11.11 Description: Amazons The subject is unclear. Indistinct lines indicating the terrain show that the archer is lying on the ground, either asleep or dead. The other figure seems to be coming to rouse her. The open eye on the shield identifies the critical element in the situation—will the fallen figure open her eyes or not? Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) Attributed to the Group of Boston 00.348 Period: Late Classical Date: ca. 360–350 B.C. Culture: Greek, South Italian, Apulian Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1950 Accession Number: 50.11.4 Description: Obverse, artist painting a statue of Herakles Reverse, Athena with deities Representations of artists at work are exceedingly rare. This vase illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives, that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic. The column and phiale (libation bowl) at the far left indicate an interior space, probably a sanctuary. In the foreground stands a statue of Herakles with his club, bow, and lion-skin. The painter, characterized by his cap and his garment worn to leave his upper body bare, applies a mixture of pigment and wax with a spatula to Herakles’ lion-skin. To the left, an African boy tends the brazier on which rods are heating that will spread the tinted wax. Above, Zeus, ruler of the gods, and Nike, personification of victory, preside as Herakles himself ambles in from the right to survey his image. The reverse, in an outdoor setting, shows Herakles’ staunch protectress, Athena, seated in conversation with one of the Dioskouroi. To the left, Hermes, the messenger god, turns away from Pan, his son, while Eros plays with a bird below. Surely complementary, the pictures may refer to the apotheosis of Herakles. Rather than driving to Mount Olympos in a chariot, Herakles sees himself monumentalized in stone, while Athena, her task accomplished, takes her ease between divine travelers. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) Attributed to the Group of Boston 00.348 Period: Late Classical Date: ca. 360–350 B.C. Culture: Greek, South Italian, Apulian Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1950 Accession Number: 50.11.4 Description: Obverse, artist painting a statue of Herakles Reverse, Athena with deities Representations of artists at work are exceedingly rare. This vase illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives, that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic. The column and phiale (libation bowl) at the far left indicate an interior space, probably a sanctuary. In the foreground stands a statue of Herakles with his club, bow, and lion-skin. The painter, characterized by his cap and his garment worn to leave his upper body bare, applies a mixture of pigment and wax with a spatula to Herakles’ lion-skin. To the left, an African boy tends the brazier on which rods are heating that will spread the tinted wax. Above, Zeus, ruler of the gods, and Nike, personification of victory, preside as Herakles himself ambles in from the right to survey his image. The reverse, in an outdoor setting, shows Herakles’ staunch protectress, Athena, seated in conversation with one of the Dioskouroi. To the left, Hermes, the messenger god, turns away from Pan, his son, while Eros plays with a bird below. Surely complementary, the pictures may refer to the apotheosis of Herakles. Rather than driving to Mount Olympos in a chariot, Herakles sees himself monumentalized in stone, while Athena, her task accomplished, takes her ease between divine travelers. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) Attributed to the Group of Boston 00.348 Period: Late Classical Date: ca. 360–350 B.C. Culture: Greek, South Italian, Apulian Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1950 Accession Number: 50.11.4 Description: Obverse, artist painting a statue of Herakles Reverse, Athena with deities Representations of artists at work are exceedingly rare. This vase illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives, that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic. The column and phiale (libation bowl) at the far left indicate an interior space, probably a sanctuary. In the foreground stands a statue of Herakles with his club, bow, and lion-skin. The painter, characterized by his cap and his garment worn to leave his upper body bare, applies a mixture of pigment and wax with a spatula to Herakles’ lion-skin. To the left, an African boy tends the brazier on which rods are heating that will spread the tinted wax. Above, Zeus, ruler of the gods, and Nike, personification of victory, preside as Herakles himself ambles in from the right to survey his image. The reverse, in an outdoor setting, shows Herakles’ staunch protectress, Athena, seated in conversation with one of the Dioskouroi. To the left, Hermes, the messenger god, turns away from Pan, his son, while Eros plays with a bird below. Surely complementary, the pictures may refer to the apotheosis of Herakles. Rather than driving to Mount Olympos in a chariot, Herakles sees himself monumentalized in stone, while Athena, her task accomplished, takes her ease between divine travelers. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta kylix: hybrid Siana lip-cup (drinking cup) Attributed to an artist related to the C Painter Period: Archaic Date: ca. 560 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 7 in. (17.8 cm) diameter 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912 Accession Number: 12.234.1 Description: Interior, Herakles fighting an Amazon Exterior, obverse and reverse, three chariots This cup is distinguished by its rich decoration and by the sensitivity with which the composition is applied to the shape. On the interior, Herakles' opponent is identifiable as a woman by the white pigment that indicates her flesh. The chariots on the exterior have been described as racing, but it is equally possible that they are advancing in a procession. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta tumbler Period: Archaic Date: ca. 525–510 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm) diameter 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1956 Accession Number: 56.171.37 Description: Eight dancing youths These youths are descendents of the komasts, the padded dancers that originally entered Athenian iconography from Corinth. We can interpret the figures here as young men in good spirits after a symposium (drinking party). Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta kylix (drinking cup) Attributed to Onesimos Period: Archaic Date: ca. 490 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) diameter 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 Accession Number: 1989.281.71 Description: Interior, groom with horse It is rare in black-figure to find representations of a man and a horse as intimate as this one. A black groom is in the process of currying the horse tethered to the perforated fixture at the right of the tondo. On the wall hangs a whisk broom. The horse is restive; the young man rests his arm decisively on its back and goes about his business Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta kylix (drinking cup) Attributed to Onesimos Period: Archaic Date: ca. 490 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) diameter 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 Accession Number: 1989.281.71 Description: Interior, groom with horse It is rare in black-figure to find representations of a man and a horse as intimate as this one. A black groom is in the process of currying the horse tethered to the perforated fixture at the right of the tondo. On the wall hangs a whisk broom. The horse is restive; the young man rests his arm decisively on its back and goes about his business Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta kylix (drinking cup) Attributed to Onesimos Period: Archaic Date: ca. 490 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) diameter 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 Accession Number: 1989.281.71 Description: Interior, groom with horse It is rare in black-figure to find representations of a man and a horse as intimate as this one. A black groom is in the process of currying the horse tethered to the perforated fixture at the right of the tondo. On the wall hangs a whisk broom. The horse is restive; the young man rests his arm decisively on its back and goes about his business Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta plate Attributed to Paseas Period: Archaic Date: ca. 510 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: Diam.: 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: The Bothmer Purchase Fund, and Promised Gift of Andrés A. Mata, 2010 Accession Number: 2010.64 Description: In the tondo, two revelers, one playing the double flute, the other holding a skyphos (deep drinking cup) Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta plate Attributed to Paseas Period: Archaic Date: ca. 510 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: Diam.: 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: The Bothmer Purchase Fund, and Promised Gift of Andrés A. Mata, 2010 Accession Number: 2010.64 Description: In the tondo, two revelers, one playing the double flute, the other holding a skyphos (deep drinking cup) Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta thymiaterion (incense burner) Associated with the Stuttgart Group Period: Hellenistic Date: ca. 325–300 B.C. Culture: Greek, South Italian, Apulian Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 12 in. (30.5 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906 Accession Number: 06.1021.220 Description: On the shaft, seated Eros. On the top, head of a woman As with the adjacent thymiaterion in the Gnathian technique (26.60.74), the shape here is strongly articulated, and the decoration combines figural and ornamental motifs. The traditional red-figure painting appears sober indeed compared to the rococo effect of the Gnathian piece. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta thymiaterion (incense burner) Associated with the Stuttgart Group Period: Hellenistic Date: ca. 325–300 B.C. Culture: Greek, South Italian, Apulian Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 12 in. (30.5 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906 Accession Number: 06.1021.220 Description: On the shaft, seated Eros. On the top, head of a woman As with the adjacent thymiaterion in the Gnathian technique (26.60.74), the shape here is strongly articulated, and the decoration combines figural and ornamental motifs. The traditional red-figure painting appears sober indeed compared to the rococo effect of the Gnathian piece. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...

Terracotta pelike (jar) Attributed to the Altamura Painter Period: Classical Date: ca. 470 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Terracotta Dimensions: H. 16 3/4 in. (42.6 cm); diameter of mouth 7 1/2 in. (19 cm); diameter of foot 8 3/16 in. (20.8 cm) Classification: Vases Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1956 Accession Number: 56.171.44 Description: Obverse and reverse, libation at the departure of a young warrior Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...