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Terracotta stirrup jar with octopus

ca. 1200–1100 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 151
A stylized octopus flanked by fish covers each side of this stirrup jar, named for the shape of its handles. Mycenaean pottery often reflects Minoan-inspired themes and techniques that originated on the island of Crete. Animated marine motifs adopted from Minoan art began to appear on Mycenaean vessels in about 1500 BCE and were initially rendered in a very naturalistic manner. Here, the symmetrical composition and abstract depiction of the sea creatures are characteristically Mycenaean.

Such jars were commonly used to transport liquids.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta stirrup jar with octopus
  • Period: Late Helladic IIIC
  • Date: ca. 1200–1100 BCE
  • Culture: Helladic, Mycenaean
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Dimensions: H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); diameter 8 7/16 in. (21.5 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Louise Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.11.6
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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