Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 161


The Greek messenger god Hermes stands nude and leaning against a tree in the center foreground on this black-figure lekythos made in Southern Italy. His pose and the black glaze used to render his skin may refer to bronze sculpture. In the Judgment of Paris story depicted here, Hermes guides Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena to Mount Ida, where the Trojan prince Paris, seated at lower left and wearing the dress of his eastern homeland, presides over a beauty contest among the goddesses.

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, probably Paestan

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Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, probably Paestan
Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, probably Paestan
Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, probably Paestan
Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Pagenstecher Class, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, probably Paestan

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