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Terracotta neck-amphora with twisted handles (jar)

Attributed to the Pilos Head Group
ca. 350–325 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 161
Obverse, young warrior seated on an altar and bearded warrior. Reverse, youth
On the neck, obverse, head of youth with pilos (pointed cap). Reverse, female head

The protagonist of the main scene has been identified as either Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Klytemnestra, or Neoptolemos, son of Achilles and Deidameia. In one account, both men vied for the hand of Hermione, daughter of Menelaos and Helen, resulting in Orestes' murder of Neoptolemos. The representation poignantly conveys the misfortune visited upon the children of Greece's greatest heroes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta neck-amphora with twisted handles (jar)
  • Artist: Attributed to the Pilos Head Group
  • Period: Late Classical
  • Date: ca. 350–325 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, South Italian, Campanian
  • Medium: Terracotta; red-figure
  • Dimensions: H. 10 7/16 in. (26.5 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Museum Accession
  • Object Number: X.21.19
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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