Terracotta stamnos with cover (jar)

Deepdene Painter

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

Obverse, King Akrisios watching his daughter Danae and her son Perseus who stand in a chest about to be set adrift Reverse, Danae's seated mother, a standing servant with basket, and a carpenter holding a hammer When King Akrisios of Argos was informed by an oracle that his grandson would kill him, he locked away his daughter Danaë. Nevertheless, Zeus came to her as a shower of gold and Perseus was born. The king had Danaë and Perseus put into a wooden chest and set adrift to die at sea. After many adventures, including his beheading of Medusa the Gorgon, Perseus returned to Argos and fulfilled the prophecy. Here in a quiet but tense moment, Danaë and the baby react with horror and pleading before the chest is closed.

Artist

Deepdene Painter

Date

ca. 470–460 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1917