On the neck, obverse, battle of centaurs and Lapiths; reverse, youths and women Around the body, Amazonomachy (battle between Greeks and Amazons)
The ancient Greeks almost never depicted contemporary or historical events in art. Thus, while literary works of the fifth century B.C. make clear that the Greeks understood the magnitude of their victory in the Persian Wars, there was no concern among artists to illustrate major events or personalities. Instead, their preference was for grand mythological battles between Greeks and eastern adversaries, notably Amazons. The Amazons were a mythical race of warrior women whose homeland lay far to the east and north. The most celebrated Amazonomachies in Athens during the first half of the fifth century were large-scale wall paintings that decorated the Theseion and the Stoa Poikile (the Painted Portico). Their influence was considerable and underlies the representation here and on the adjacent krater, 06.286.86.
#1036. Terracotta volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water)
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Artwork Details
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Title:Terracotta volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water)
Artist:Attributed to the Painter of the Woolly Satyrs (namepiece)
Period:Classical
Date:ca. 450 BCE
Culture:Greek, Attic
Medium:Terracotta; red-figure
Dimensions:H. 25 in. (63.5 cm)
Classification:Vases
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1907
Object Number:07.286.84
Said to have been found in Numana, province of Ancona, Italy
Ca. 1901-1902, found by Dr. Girolamo Rilli in the necropolis of Numana; [1907, purchased by Alfredo Barsanti from Dr. G. Rilli]; acquired in 1907, purchased from A. Barsanti.
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Richter, Gisela M. A. 1917. Handbook of the Classical Collection. p. 107, fig. 66, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Richter, Gisela M. A., Marjorie J. Milne, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1922. Shapes of Greek Vases. New York.
Richter, Gisela M. A. 1927. Handbook of the Classical Collection. pp. 138, 140, fig. 95, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Richter, Gisela M. A. and Marjorie J. Milne. 1935. Shapes and Names of Athenian Vases. p. 7, figs. 51–52, New York: Plantin Press.
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Kimberly Cionca Sebesanu, MuSe intern in the Digital Department, writes about two ancient Greek myths involving the Amazons that are depicted on Greek ceramics at The Met.
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