Terracotta hydria (water jar)
Thamyris and the Muses
Vases associated with the Meidias Painter are often exceptionally interesting iconographically and very poorly preserved. Thamyris was a mythological musician who boasted that he could sing more beautifully than the Muses. He was blinded for his arrogance. While some representations reflect his fate, this hydria is among those that do not. Thamyris appears in an outdoor setting among music-making women and Erotes. Particularly noteworthy is a small platform beneath his feet with three figures of diminishing size. They are identified as representations of the Muses, making the location of the scene a sanctuary devoted to them.
Vases associated with the Meidias Painter are often exceptionally interesting iconographically and very poorly preserved. Thamyris was a mythological musician who boasted that he could sing more beautifully than the Muses. He was blinded for his arrogance. While some representations reflect his fate, this hydria is among those that do not. Thamyris appears in an outdoor setting among music-making women and Erotes. Particularly noteworthy is a small platform beneath his feet with three figures of diminishing size. They are identified as representations of the Muses, making the location of the scene a sanctuary devoted to them.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta hydria (water jar)
- Artist: Attributed to the manner of the Meidias Painter
- Period: Classical
- Date: ca. 420–410 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Terracotta; red-figure
- Dimensions: H. as restored 14 5/16 in. (36.4 cm)
diameter 13 5/16 in. (33.8 cm) - Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: Gift of John Marshall, 1916
- Object Number: 16.52
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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Meidias Painter
ca. 410 BCE
Meidias Painter
ca. 410 BCE
Meidias Painter
ca. 420–410 BCE
Meidias Painter
ca. 420–400 BCE
Meidias Painter
ca. 410 BCE
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