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From:Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities
Name/TitleVolute Krater
About this objectThis ornate volute-krater was designed to be a grave marker or to hold the ashes of a deceased male. Central to the elaborate decoration is the depiction of a young man as a military hero. The youth, in heroic pose, is wearing a cuirass, cloak and helmet, and holding a spear and the tether of the horse beside him. He is standing in a naiskos (shrine).
Beyond are four mourners with funerary offerings. The scene creates an idealised picture of the deceased as a young warrior hero. On the reverse is a community of mourners around a stele (slab), in this case erected as a funerary monument.
In city-states such as Athens, young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty underwent military training before being admitted to full citizenship. Battle skills were essential for the elite classes, who were responsible for defending the populace, vanquishing enemies and increasing the status of their city-state. It is not surprising that real and mythical heroes were admired and respected for their military skills.
MakerAttributed to the Ganymede Painter
Maker RoleArtist
Date Madeca. 330-320 BC
Place MadeItaly
Place NotesCanosa.
Medium and MaterialsCeramic; Pottery
Style and IconographyRed-figure
Style and IconographyApulian
TechniqueThrowing (pottery technique)
TechniqueSlip trailing (relief line)
TechniqueMolding (forming)
MeasurementsHeight (to lip) 74.6cm; Diameter 40.2cm
Subject and Association KeywordsArt and religion
Subject and Association KeywordsClothing and dress
Subject and Association KeywordsFood in art
Subject and Association KeywordsFigurative art
Subject and Association KeywordsHeroes in art
Subject and Association KeywordsMourning customs
Subject and Association KeywordsPlants in art
Named CollectionThe James Logie Memorial Collection, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Object TypeStorage Vessels
Object number158.75
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved