Attic Black-figure Neck-Amphora
Small black-figure neck-amphora (storage jar) on beige ground of Attic manufacture depicting: (a) Theseus and the Minotaur between woman (Ariadne?) and youth. Theseus on the left, dressed in a short chiton (seemingly without lion skin), hair pulled back, carrying sword in right hand, and holding Minotaur’s arm with left. (b) Satyr and Maenads. Palmette and lotus chain motif on neck, above fretted band; black foot with rays towards solid black band.
Stylistic remarks: The example can be attributed to the Light-make class, a group of small neck-amphorae of light manufacture, defined by J. D. Beazley. The general composition and the execution of the single decorative elements (stylised palmettes on the neck, the fretted band, as well as the radiating decoration from the foot to the solid band below the main scene) is extremely close to the style of the Mariani Painter and very close to certain examples attributed to the Painter of Pescia.
Object number: 127.012.
Date: 6th century BCE
Parallels: For a very close example see Orvieto, Museo Archeologico ‘Claudio Faina’ e Museo Civico inv. 2708 (Painter from Pescia); Rome, Musei Vaticani MV.17794.0.0 and MV.17777.0.0 (both attributed to the Mariani Painter), also MV.17788.0.0, MV.17786.0.0, and MV.17792.0.0 (attributed to the Painter from Pescia); Norwich, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery 56.19.34; London, British Museum 1856,1226.76, 1836,0224.36, and 1836,0224.210 (Mariani Painter).
References: Beazley, J.D., Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters (Oxford, 1956), p. 595; Beazley, J. D., Paralipomena (Oxford, 1971), p. 298; Beazley, J.D., Paralipomena (Oxford, 1971), 298.29; also Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung: 118 (2003), pl. 34.3 (A).
Photo by Steve Morton