Terracotta kylix (drinking cup)
Obverse and reverse, birth of Athena from the head of Zeus
Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, had the distinction of being born fully formed and fully armed from the head of Zeus, the chief of the gods. Much favored during the first half of the sixth century B.C., scenes of this event include numerous figures and allow for various responses to the unusual circumstances. Here the birth has occurred, and Athena is about to sally forth from her father's lap.
Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, had the distinction of being born fully formed and fully armed from the head of Zeus, the chief of the gods. Much favored during the first half of the sixth century B.C., scenes of this event include numerous figures and allow for various responses to the unusual circumstances. Here the birth has occurred, and Athena is about to sally forth from her father's lap.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta kylix (drinking cup)
- Artist: Attributed to the Painter of the Nicosia Olpe
- Period: Archaic
- Date: ca. 550 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Terracotta; black-figure
- Dimensions: H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm)
diameter 8 in. (20.3 cm) - Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
- Object Number: 06.1097
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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Greek, Attic
mid-5th century BCE
Painter of the Nicosia Olpe
mid-6th century BCE
Hieron
Makron
ca. 480 BCE
Greek, South Italian, Campanian
4th century BCE
Greek, Attic
late 10th–early 9th century BCE
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