Description
Although their subjects differ, the three fields of figured decoration on this vessel relate to one another metaphorically through the theme of victory. Just as Theseus defeats the Minotaur on the shoulder, two lions converge on a deer in the predella (the small, lowermost panel). In the largest panel, victory is still to come, presumably for all three warriors shown: one in the chariot behind his driver, and one on foot on either side. Somewhat unusually, two of the warriors look directly out at the viewer, their frontal faces an interesting complement to the much more common frontal chariot.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1975-)
Black-Figure Hydria (Water Vessel): Frontal Quadriga (Body); Theseus and Minotaur (Shoulder)
c. 520 BCE
Accession Number
1975.1
Medium
ceramic
Dimensions
Overall: 43.2 cm (17 in.); Diameter of rim: 24.7 cm (9 3/4 in.); Diameter of foot: 15.2 cm (6 in.)
Classification
Ceramic
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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