The decoration of this vessel shows a lively scene from Greek myth. On one side, in the center, you see a male figure with long hair who seems to be standing still. He wears long garments and a garland of ivy on his head. This is Dionysos, the god of wine, holding a drinking horn and the vine he taught men to cultivate. Around him are shaggy creatures with horses’ tails and ears. These are the satyrs, the god's male followers. Also present are maenads, female devotees of Dionysos, wearing animal skins over their dresses.

Everyone here is moving in the same direction, in a spirited dance. Lydos, who painted this vase, made his figures large and gave each one individual qualities. Follow the procession around to the other side. As you go, you see a satyr carrying a bulging wineskin, and another satyr looking straight out at you. In front of him, riding on a donkey, is Hephaistos, the blacksmith god and master craftsman to the gods.

According to the myth, Hephaistos was born lame. His mother Hera was so disgusted by his deformity that she wanted him out of Olympus, where the gods lived. Before he left, he prepared his revenge. He made a beautiful throne, a parting gift for his mother. When she sat in it, delighted, it held her fast, and no one could get her out but Hephaistos himself. So the gods sent Dionysos to fetch him back, with wine to induce him. Hephaistos shows no sign of lameness in this scene, and in fact rarely elsewhere in Greek art.

Turn to the case on the wall nearby. Here you see fragments of another krater Lydos painted with the same mythological scene. Look at how much bigger the main band of decoration is in the fragmentary krater. You get a sense of how much larger it must have been—the smaller krater holds some nineteen gallons!

In the center of the case, you see Hephaistos again riding his donkey, with his name painted just to the right. All of the other figures also have painted names, some very descriptive: the happy satyr lying under the donkey has a name that translates “caring about nothing.” He is looking out at us, completely drunk, holding a drinking cup in his left hand and the leg of a faun in his right. This carousing comes perhaps a few hours after the energetic dances depicted on the smaller krater.

If you'd like to hear more about the fragmentary krater from Distinguished Research Curator Dietrich von Bothmer, push the green play button to continue this message.