Red Figure Column Krater
- Red Figure Column Krater
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This large ceramic vessel, called a column krater, was used for mixing water and wine. It is exceptional for its size, its beautifully balanced composition, and the finely painted figures.
The primary characters are important deities from Greek mythology. On the front, Zeus and Hera—king and queen of the Olympian gods—are seated on either side of the winged goddess Iris, who pours an offering from a jug called an oinochoe into a dish called a phiale, held by Zeus. Iris extends her left hand toward Hera, who grasps it in her own hand. Hermes, messenger to the gods, walks to the left but looks back to the right. The other side of the column krater depicts a woman standing between two youths.
ProvenanceIan Woodner (c. 1903–1990), New York, by 1950s; The Ian Woodner Family Collection; [Phoenix Ancient Art, New York/Geneva, by 2003]; purchased by MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"Patrons Choice: The Silver Anniversary of The Museum Collectors, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," September 18, 2004–January 30, 2005. Millennium Gallery and Public Corridor.
Published References ARS Antiqua A.G. 1959. Ars Antiqua A.G., Aukton I. 2 May 1959. Luzern, Switzerland. P. 43, Lot 119, pl. 56 (ills.). Beazley, J. D. Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963. 260-261, n.15. Boardman, John. Athenian Red Figure Vases in the Archaic Period. 1975. 113-114, fig. 202. Schefold, K., Die Göttersage in der klassischen und hellenistischen Kunst. Munich, 1981. p. 219, Fig. 300. Burn, L. and Glynn, R., Beazley Addenda. Oxford, 1982. 101. Berard, C., L'Image de l'autre et le Heros Etranger, Sciences et Racisme. Lausanne, 1986. P. 62, Fig.4. Laurens, Annie-France. "Identification d'Hebe? le nom, l'un et le multiple." In Images et societe en Grece ancienne, Cahiers d'Archeologie Romande, no.36. Lausanne: Institut d'Archeologie et d'Histoire Ancienne, Universite de Lausanne, 1987. 59-72. Carpenter, T.H., with Mannack, T. and Mendonca, M., Beazley Addenda, 2nd edition. Oxford, 1989. 204. Neils, Jenifer, "Reconfiguring the Gods on the Parthenon Frieze," The Art Bulletin 81, no.1 (March, 1999): 6-20, 9. Thöne, C., Ikonographische Studien zu Nike im 5.Jh.v.Chr., Untersuchungen zu Wirkungsweise und Wesensart, Archäologie & Geschichte 8 (Heidelberg, 1999): Pl.5.1. Christie's, New York, Auction Catalogue, 4 June 1999, Lot 19, p. 17. Pevnick, Seth D., "SYRISKOS EGRPHSEN: Loaded Names, Artistic Identity, and Reading an Athenian Vase," Classical Antiquitiy, Vol. 29, Issue 2, 2010, pp.222-249. Beazley Archive Pottery Database, http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-74be546401cfd-1, Entry No. 202969
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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