Terracotta neck-amphora (jar)

Acheloös Painter

ca. 510–500 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Obverse, women and man at fountain house Reverse, woman and komasts (revelers) However incomplete, this vase gives a very amusing picture of life in Athens, morning and evening. The figures on the obverse are at a fountain house, indicated by the architecture, the two panther's head waterspouts, and the block below on which to place hydriai (water jars) while they are being filled. Fountain houses were places where men and women could meet casually. On the reverse, three men wreathed with ivy disport themselves around a woman. The krotala (castanets) in her hand suggest that she is a hetaira, a professional entertainer.

Artist

Acheloös Painter

Date

ca. 510–500 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1956