Terracotta hydria (water jar)

Leagros Group

ca. 510 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

On the body, Achilles and Ajax playing board game at Troy On the shoulder, chariot departing The scene on the body depicts one of the most popular subjects in Greek art, mainly vase-painting, between about 540 and 480 B.C. Over 150 occurrences are known. Remarkably, the original composition survives on an amphora in the Vatican Museums. The artist was Exekias, the potter and painter whose work represents the height of black-figure painting. In this variant, the painter has placed Athena stage center as the two primary Greek heroes of the Trojan War while away their time playing a game in which pieces are moved according to the roll of dice.

Artist

Leagros Group

Date

ca. 510 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1956