Terracotta pelike (wine jar)
Plousios Painter
ca. 520 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art
Obverse, two men playing board game Reverse, flute player between two athletes Introduced by red-figure artists, the pelike was adopted as well by their black-figure counterparts. The subject here is a further modification of the theme of Ajax and Achilles gaming (compare hydria 56.171.29). Two men sit at a three-legged table playing a board game, as indicated by their gestures. A flute case and a lyre hanging on the wall above them suggest that the men are professional musicians taking a break. The implied comparison with the Homeric heroes is amusing.
- Artist
- Plousios Painter
- Date
- ca. 520 BCE
- Medium
- Terracotta
- Culture
- Greek, Attic
- Department
- Greek and Roman Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Walter Bareiss, 1968
