Terracotta krater

Workshop of New York MMA 34.11.2

late 1st quarter of the 8th century BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

The prothesis scene—the laying out of the deceased—in the central metope, or square panel, on each side of this monumental krater shows that it was meant for a funerary purpose, a grave marker. The scenes below narrate either a specific event that took place during the deceased’s lifetime, or a tale about an ancestral heroic expedition, as the warriors’ hourglass-shaped shields belong to the preceding Late Bronze Age. A continuous frieze shows battle scenes on two warships and two processions of armed warriors. A figure, interpreted as a captive woman, is tied to the deck under one ship’s sail. A warrior climbs onto the ram of the other ship to attack an archer with his spear. Sword duels take place in the stern of both vessels.

Artist

Workshop of New York MMA 34.11.2

Date

late 1st quarter of the 8th century BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1934