Terracotta amphora (jar)
Unknown Artist
ca. 560–550 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. 14 5/8 in. (37.2 cm.) Diameter 10 15/16 in. (27.8 cm.)
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.162.103
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant terracotta amphora, crafted by an unknown Attic Greek potter around 560–550 BCE during the Archaic period, as a prime example of black-figure vase painting. Measuring just over 14 inches tall, it was likely used to store olive oil or wine, essential commodities in ancient Greek life. Produced in Athens, the heart of Attic pottery production, such vessels were both functional household items and canvases for storytelling through art. The amphora's decoration centers on the heroic exploits of Herakles, Greece's most famous mythological strongman, locked in combat with ferocious cen...