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Bronze hydria (water jar)

mid-5th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 156
Inscribed on top of the mouth "one of the prizes from Argive Hera"

This hydria, like Greek art in all its forms, is marked by clearly defined parts organized into a harmonious well-proportioned whole. The plain body swells gently to the shoulder zone, which turns inward with a soft, cushionlike curve. The shoulder is decorated with a simple shallow tongue pattern that echoes the vertical ribbing on the foot. The neck shoots up from the shoulder to a flaring mouth from which the bust of a woman seems to emerge. The figure belongs to the vertical handle of the hydria. She wears a peplos. Her serene face is framed by carefully detailed hair. Rotelles with a rosette pattern give a semblance of outstretched hands. We know from the inscription on the mouth that this hydria was a prize awarded at games for the goddess Hera at her sanctuary in Argos in the Peloponnisos.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bronze hydria (water jar)
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: mid-5th century BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Argive
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H. with handle 20 1/4 in. (51.41 cm)
  • Classification: Bronzes
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.50
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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