Terracotta hydria (water jar)

APZ Painter

ca. 330–300 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Three women within a naiskos (shrine) between youths and women. Under the handles, head of a woman A recurring question in ancient funerary representations is which figures are alive and which deceased. On this vase, the critical difference between the individuals inside and outside the naiskos is that the ladies inside are painted white. Should they be interpreted as statues, despite their lifelike actions? Or does the white signify a change in substance though not in form brought about by death?

Artist

APZ Painter

Date

ca. 330–300 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, South Italian, Campanian

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1906