Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

Brygos Painter

ca. 480–470 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Athena holding spear and aphlaston (a symbol of naval victory) Athena holds the curved stern of a trireme (warship) with a decorative attachment at the end. Following a rich strike of silver in Attica, the Athenian commander Themistokles persuaded the assembly to use the financial windfall to build a navy. By 480 B.C., Athens was able to provide the largest contingent of ships when the Greeks faced and defeated the Persians in a naval battle at Salamis. The Athenian navy came to dominate the eastern Mediterranean, and this vase may commemorate a victory at sea.

Artist

Brygos Painter

Date

ca. 480–470 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Purchase, The Cesnola Collection, by exchange, 1925