| Collection: | Toledo Museum of Art |
| Summary: | Main panel: Herakles and Kyknos |
| Ware: | Attic Black Figure |
| Painter: | Near the Edinburgh Painter |
| Date: | ca. 510 BC - ca. 500 BC |
| Dimensions: | H. to top of handle 0.43 m., h. to rim 0.41 m., d. rim 0.23 m., d. shoulder 0.27 m., d. foot 0.15 m. |
| Primary Citation: | |
| Shape: | Hydria |
| Period: | Late Archaic |
Condition:
Some black glaze mottled red.
Decoration Description:
Main panel: Herakles and Kyknos. In the center, Herakles steps up and grasps in his left hand the crest support of Kyknos's helmet. Herakles is holding his sword in his right hand and is wearing his lionskin, chitoniskos, and a scabbard and quiver hung from crossed baldrics. Falling to his right knee, Kyknos appears to have been retreating, since his body points to the right, away from Herakles, while he turns his head back and up to look at his opponent. Besides his Corinthian helmet, Kyknos wears chitoniskos, corslet and greaves and carries a Boeotian shield and a spear. The shield device is an incised panther's mask between white balls. Athena stands behind Herakles on the left, watching the action and wearing himation, peplos, and fillet. She holds her Attic helmet in her right hand and a spear upright in her left; both items' tops protrude beyond the main panel onto the shoulder of the vase. Immediately behind Kyknos stands Zeus in a short garment, his left hand raised, his gaze focused upon Herakles. On the right, Ares steps forward to assist Kyknos. Ares wears a short-crested Corinthian helmet, chitoniskos, greaves and thigh armor; he carries a circular shield with snake device and a spear, and he has a scabbard hung from a baldric over his left shoulder. On the far right facing the action stands Pelopeia, Kyknos's mother, with outspread hands and wearing fillet, himation, and peplos.
Shoulder: trainer and athletes. Four naked athletes and a trainer in chiton and himation stand equally spaced from each other. The two athletes on the left each face right and step forward with one foot while bearing weight on the other. In addition, each has his left arm raised, and the second from the left holds a diskos in his right. The athlete in the center stands facing the two on the left; he bears weight on both feet and bends both arms at the elbows. The trainer stands second from right, with both feet together on the ground and a wand grasped in his right hand; he also faces left. On the far right the last athlete stands with his body pointed toward the trainer, although his head is turned to look right. His stance is much like that of the athletes on the far left, and he holds two javelins in his right hand.
Predella: animal frieze flanked by palmettes; two lions face a siren in the center.
Added red occurs in the main panel in Athena's fillet, two folds of her himation, dots on her peplos, and the edge of her helmet crest, Herakles's belt, chiton skirt, and the edge of his quiver, Kyknos's fillet, the folds of his chiton, the dot and band decoration on the border of his shield, a garment fold on Zeus's right shoulder, the crest of Ares's helmet, the border of his shield, his right greave, Pelopeia's fillet, and every other fold in her himation; on the shoulder in all the figures' fillets and every other fold of the trainer's himation; and on the predella in the manes and ruffs of each lion and a band on each wing of the siren. Added white includes, on the main panel: Athena's and Pelopeia's flesh, groups of dots on Athena's, Kyknos's, Zeus's, and Pelopeia's garments, the borders of Kyknos's, Ares's, and Pelopeia's garments, Herakles's sword hilt, his baldric and the teeth on his lionskin, the two balls on Kyknos's shield and dots around its inner border, and the snake on Ares's shield; and on the predella: the siren's face, breast, and two lines on each wing.
Alternating black and red tongues separate the shoulder from the neck space. The lateral border of the main panel is marked by a double band of black ivy leaves. Below the predella are two red bands, with one more above rays at the base, and a red base fillet.
Sources Used:
Other Bibliography: