Terracotta krater

ca. 750–735 BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 151

Monumental grave markers were first introduced during the Geometric period. They were large vases, often decorated with funerary representations. It was only in the Archaic period that stone sculptures were used as funerary monuments. On this magnificent krater, the main scene occupies the widest portion of the vase and shows the deceased laid upon a bier surrounded by members of his household and, at either side, mourners. For optimal clarity, the dead man is shown on his side, and the checkered shroud that would normally cover the body has been raised and regularized into a long rectangle with two projections. The zone below shows a procession of chariots and foot soldiers. The figures may refer to the military exploits of the deceased. Because hourglass shields and chariots played a more limited role at this time than in the earlier Bronze Age, the scene more likely evokes the glorious ancestry and traditions to which the dead man belonged.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Terracotta krater
Artist: Attributed to the Hirschfeld Workshop
Period: Late Geometric I
Date: ca. 750–735 BCE
Culture: Greek, Attic
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: H. 42 5/8 in. (108.3 cm)
diameter 28 1/2 in. (72.4 cm)
Classification: Vases
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1914
Object Number: 14.130.14
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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