Terracotta neck-amphora (jar)

Exekias

ca. 530 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Obverse, Apollo between Hermes and goddess Reverse, Memnon between his Ethiopian squires In the Trojan War, Memnon, the son of Tithonos and Eos, the goddess of the dawn, led a contingent of Ethiopians allied with the Trojans. He was killed by Achilles in a duel watched by their mothers. The present condition of the vase provides insight into the painter's working method. Memnon's shield was drawn with a compass—the circles are evident—and it would have been painted in added white directly onto the clay. Without the white, we can see the cursory sketch that the artist drew for the figure's torso.

Artist

Exekias

Date

ca. 530 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of F. W. Rhinelander, 1898