Black-figure lekythos (oil bottle)
HAIMON PAINTER
(attributed to) (Greek, Attic, active ca. 490-460 BCE)
Black-figure lekythos (oil bottle)
Dateca. 490 BCE
Mediumceramic
Dimensionsobject: 5 7/8 × 2 1/8 in. (14.9 × 5.4 cm)
ClassificationCERAMICS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William P. Nelson
Object number1945.11.1
Subject(s)
- animal
- transportation
- horse
- men
- women
- mythology
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Black-figure
- Greek
On View
Not on viewLabel TextSmall oil vessels had many possible uses. Most commonly they have been found at grave sites where they were left as offerings by mourners. Their size meant they provided an intimate way for a person to pay their respects to the deceased. Similar examples by the same painter have also been excavated in the main Athenian agora or marketplace. The image of a chariot procession which wraps around the body of the vessel encourages the viewer to follow its lead around the object with their eyes. We see a female figure holding the reins of four horses; the god of wine Dionysus holding a rhyton, or drinking horn; a male figure in front of him and a satyr, a part man part goat creature, leading the way.
