Black-Figure Kantharos (Drinking Cup): Lizards Flanking Tree (A); Ducks (B)
Unknown Artist
c. 500 BCE
Medium
ceramic
Dimensions
h. 11.2 cm · diam. 10.7 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of JoAnn Harris
Accession Number
1985.175
About this artwork
Known as a kantharos and often associated with the wine god Dionysos and the hero Herakles, this type of two-handled drinking cup was particularly popular in Boiotia, a region of central Greece northwest of Athens. Also typical of Boiotia is simple black-figure silhouette decoration, without incision. Here and elsewhere, though, Boiotian vase-painters used red paint for additional detail; note the alternating tree leaves, lizard eyes and spots (on the right), and duck eyes.