Terracotta stamnos (jar)
Attributed to the Deepdene Painter
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.
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