Terracotta amphora (jar)
Obverse, warrior and inscription: two obols—and hands off
Reverse, man carrying a tripod
In addition to its elegant simplicity, this amphora has several features of great importance. The figure on the reverse is probably an athlete who is carrying off his prize, a bronze tripod. Greek literature provides numerous references to tripods as prizes and dedications. A representation such as this shows their scale and how such objects were carried. The inscription on the obverse permits different interpretations. An obol was a unit of weight and a coin.
Reverse, man carrying a tripod
In addition to its elegant simplicity, this amphora has several features of great importance. The figure on the reverse is probably an athlete who is carrying off his prize, a bronze tripod. Greek literature provides numerous references to tripods as prizes and dedications. A representation such as this shows their scale and how such objects were carried. The inscription on the obverse permits different interpretations. An obol was a unit of weight and a coin.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta amphora (jar)
- Artist: Attributed to a painter of Group E
- Period: Archaic
- Date: ca. 550 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Terracotta; black-figure
- Dimensions: H. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm)
diameter 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) - Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1956
- Object Number: 56.171.13
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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Euphiletos Painter
ca. 530 BCE
Group E
ca. 540 BCE
Group E
ca. 540 BCE
Group E
ca. 540 BCE
Group E
ca. 540 BCE
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