This is a consummate example of black-figure vase-painting. In this technique, the painter applies glaze in silhouettes and then incises details like the patterns on the clothing. When the pot is fired, the glazed areas turn black and the unglazed areas show a rich orange color. The artist Exekias was both potter and painter of this vase.

The piece is exceptionally well preserved, complete with its lid. It is hard to imagine a more perfect harmony between shape and decoration. A chariot appears on each side of the vase, and a noble-looking couple is riding in each, a bearded man and a white-skinned woman holding the reins. Another female figure turns to face them, and a young man with wavy hair walks behind the horses, playing music on the kithara. Exekias has placed the figures at just the right height; imagine the distortions they would suffer if they were shifted one inch higher on the vase's surface.

The figures have such dignity that it is impossible to say whether they are gods or human beings, whether this is an earthly procession or a divine one. This is often the case in Greek art. The Greeks envisioned their gods as human in appearance, and subject to every human passion. By the same token, human beings look and act like gods in every aspect of their humanity.