Terracotta neck-amphora (jar)

Attributed to the Diosphos Painter
ca. 500 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171
Obverse, Hera sending out Iris with the Nemean lion
Reverse, Herakles wrestling the Nemean lion

The very rare representation on the obverse depicts a story preserved in Hesiod's Theogony. Hera, queen of the gods, sends out Iris, the divine messenger, with the lion that will ravage the region of Nemea. On the other side, Herakles wrestles with the lion as Athena stands by to assure a successful outcome.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta neck-amphora (jar)
  • Artist: Attributed to the Diosphos Painter
  • Period: Archaic
  • Date: ca. 500 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Attic
  • Medium: Terracotta; black-figure
  • Dimensions: Height: 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Museum Accession
  • Object Number: X.21.15
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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