Hydria (Water Jar)
about 450 BCE
Medium
terracotta, red-figure
Dimensions
28.2 × 29.8 × 22.8 cm (11 1/8 × 11 3/4 × 9 in.)
Classification
vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
215100
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This hydria, or water jar, depicts three fully clothed and wreathed women quietly engaged in feminine activities. The subject on the left examines her face in a mirror, the central figure holds a chest, which may contain such personal effects as jewelry and cosmetics, and the woman on the right holds a large, lobed fruit. The shape of this water jar is called a kalpis. The body and neck were raised on the potter’s wheel as a single piece. Large areas of the vase misfired, resulting in greenish ...
About the Artist
Chicago Painter
**The Chicago Painter** was an anonymous ancient Greek vase painter active in Athens during the middle of the fifth century BCE. His true name remains unknown, as is typical for most Attic artisans of the period, but his distinctive hand was first recognized by the pioneering British scholar Sir John Beazley. In his 1918 publication *Attic Red-Figured Vases in American Museums*, Beazley identified...