Terracotta stamnos (jar)
Obverse, warrior arming, possibly Achilles
Reverse, Menelaos reclaiming his wife, Helen
The subject matter of the obverse is indicated by the woman who is handing the warrior his armor. In Homer's Iliad, Thetis, the mother of Achilles, replaces the original armor that Achilles gave to his friend Patroklos. This side probably depicts the principal Greek hero of the Trojan War, while the other indicates the cause of the war, the desire of Menelaos, the king of Sparta, to reclaim his wife from Paris, the Trojan prince. The fluid execution of the figures is complemented by the superb handle ornaments.
Reverse, Menelaos reclaiming his wife, Helen
The subject matter of the obverse is indicated by the woman who is handing the warrior his armor. In Homer's Iliad, Thetis, the mother of Achilles, replaces the original armor that Achilles gave to his friend Patroklos. This side probably depicts the principal Greek hero of the Trojan War, while the other indicates the cause of the war, the desire of Menelaos, the king of Sparta, to reclaim his wife from Paris, the Trojan prince. The fluid execution of the figures is complemented by the superb handle ornaments.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta stamnos (jar)
- Artist: Attributed to the Deepdene Painter
- Period: Classical
- Date: ca. 470–460 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Terracotta; red-figure
- Dimensions: H. 16 in. (40.7 cm); width with handles 14 5/8 in. (37.2 cm); H. without cover 14 3/16 in. (36.1 cm)
- Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1941
- Object Number: 41.162.20a, b
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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Deepdene Painter
ca. 470–460 BCE
Deepdene Painter
ca. 470 BCE
Deepdene Painter
ca. 470–460 BCE
Greek, South Italian, Campanian
4th century BCE
Greek, Attic
late 10th–early 9th century BCE
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