Volute Krater (Mixing Bowl)
About 340 BCE
Medium
terracotta, red-figure
Dimensions
78 × 4838.1 cm (30 3/4 × 18 7/8 in.)
Classification
vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
102078
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
On the front of this vessel a young warrior and a tutor or philosopher are shown standing in a naiskos (tomb) surrounded by attendants with offerings; above them is the head of the mythical poet and singer, Orpheus. On the back of the vase, on either side of a stele topped by a large kylix (drinking cup), is, to the left, a youth with a branch and a patera, and to the right a woman with a mirror and a wreath. Since the krater is a funerary vessel, these figures may be symbolic representations o...
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...