Terracotta amphora (jar)

Attributed to Group E
ca. 540 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 155
Obverse, Theseus and the Minotaur
Reverse, frontal chariot

The confrontation between Theseus and the Minotaur (part-man, part-bull) is a subject favored by Group E. Though slow-moving, the figures indicate a more complex rendering of spatial relations than previously. The white object in the Minotaur's hand is a stone, traditionally the weapon of adversaries considered by the Greeks to be less civilized than themselves.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta amphora (jar)
  • Artist: Attributed to Group E
  • Period: Archaic
  • Date: ca. 540 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Attic
  • Medium: Terracotta; black-figure
  • Dimensions: H. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
    diameter of mouth 6 7/8 in. (17.4 cm)
    diameter of foot 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1956
  • Object Number: 56.171.12
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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