Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water)

Orchard Painter

ca. 470–460 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Obverse, Jason about to seize the Golden Fleece, the stern of the Argo at the right Reverse, woman between two youths Jason led the Argonauts, a band of adventurers who set out on the ship Argo to steal the magical golden fleece of a ram, which was preserved in Kolchis on the Black Sea. With the help of the gods and the sorceress Medea, Jason was able to take the fleece from a grove protected by a dragon. Here, with Athena beside him, he reaches for the fleece. A companion prepares to board the ship. The basis of the legend of the Golden Fleece is probably the ancient practice of extracting alluvial gold by causing the deposits in a stream to wash over a fleece, thereby catching the gold-bearing material in the curly pelt.

Artist

Orchard Painter

Date

ca. 470–460 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1934