Terracotta Pelike Attributed to the Altamura Painter in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2018

Terracotta pelike (jar)

Attributed to the Altamura Painter


Period: Classical

Date: ca. 470 B.C.

Culture: Greek, Attic

Medium: Terracotta; red-figure

Dimensions: H. 16 3/4 in. (42.6 cm); diameter of mouth 7 1/2 in. (19 cm); diameter of foot 8 3/16 in. (20.8 cm)

Classification: Vases

Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1956

Accession Number: 56.171.44

Obverse and reverse, libation at the departure of a young warrior

Vases are invaluable sources of evidence for Athenian practices. Here, for instance, it is noteworthy that both the woman and the warrior are holding a phiale from which to pour a libation. Artistically, it is also apparent that the Altamura Painter used the shield to experiment with effects of perspective and foreshortening.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254902