Side B: horses
[Image not available]
Three-dimensional approximation of the vase
Side A: woman, man and ship with oarsmen
| Collection: | London, British Museum |
| Summary: | Woman, man and ship with oarsmen |
| Ware: | Geometric |
| Painter: | Attributed to the Sub-Dipylon Group |
| Context: | Said to be from Thebes |
| Date: | ca. 730 BC - ca. 720 BC |
| Dimensions: | H. 0.309 m. |
| Shape: | Krater |
| Ceramic Phase: | Late Geometric IIa |
| Region: | Boeotia |
| Period: | Geometric |
Decoration Description:
There is a figured scene on the shoulder zone between the handles. Side A: At left, a standing woman is pictured, with shoulder-length hair, a long skirt rendered in outline filled with crosshatching; she is holding a probable wreath. The woman is grasped at her left wrist by a man looking back at her while proceeding right toward the rear of a boat with two tiers of oarsmen. At the front of the boat is a long prow. A bird at far right is used as a filling ornament. There are dots at the rim. The lower body has a row of 'S's and horizontal banding. The base is solidly painted.
Side A has been interpreted as a mythological scene: Theseus and Ariadne, Paris and Helen, or Odysseus and Penelope are possibilities. This krater is the first representation of two rows of oarsmen on a ship. The woman is a prototype of later Geometric mourners and dancers. Row of 'S's and horizontal banding suggest the influence of Corinthian vase-painting.
Shape Description:
Spouted krater with two horizontal loop handles.
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