The Getty Villa

Water Jar Attributed to the Eagle Painter Etruscan, Caere, about 525 B.C. Terracotta 17 9/16 x 13 in. 83.AE.346 On this black-figure hydria, the Greek hero Herakles battles the Lernean Hydra while a large crab nips at his foot. His companion Iolaos attacks from the other side, cutting off one of the monster's heads with a harpe or short curved sword. Two sphinxes flank the handle on the back of the vessel, and floral decoration covers the rest of the vase: an ivy tendril on the shoulder and a palmette and lotus frieze on the lower body. This hydria is one of a small group of painted vases produced at Caere in Etruria. All these vases appear to come from one workshop, which may have had two artists. Caeretan hydriai display many of the basic elements of Greek vase-painting reinterpreted for an Etruscan market, using a more vivid range of colors and emphasizing the importance of floral ornament in the decoration. They are unusual in that the artist used a template for the floral decoration, a technique not otherwise known in Greek vase-painting. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=12550

Water Jar with Apollo and Herakles Greek, made in Athens, 520-510 BC Terracotta Black-figured hydria attributed to the Lykomedes Painter Inventory # 86.AE.114 On this water jar, Apollo (god of prophecy) and the hero Herakles (identified by his lionskin) fight over a sacred tripod, a three-legged stand for a cauldron where offerings were made. According to myth, Herakles went to the shrine of Apollo to ask the god's oracle for help. When aid was refused, the angry hero attempted to steal the god's tripod. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Water Jar with Dionysos and Poseidon Greek, made in Athens, about 550 BC Terracotta Black-figured hydria attributed to the Wider Circle of Lydos as painter Inventory # 86.AE.113 Attributes help identify two of the Greek gods on the body of this vessel: Dionysos (god of wine) holds a grapevine and a huge kantharos (ritual cup), and Poseidon (god of the sea) holds his trident. The woman standing between them is difficult to identify because she lacks an attribute. She may be Dionysos' consort, Ariadne, or Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Water Jar with Dionysos and Poseidon Greek, made in Athens, about 550 BC Terracotta Black-figured hydria attributed to the Wider Circle of Lydos as painter Inventory # 86.AE.113 Attributes help identify two of the Greek gods on the body of this vessel: Dionysos (god of wine) holds a grapevine and a huge kantharos (ritual cup), and Poseidon (god of the sea) holds his trident. The woman standing between them is difficult to identify because she lacks an attribute. She may be Dionysos' consort, Ariadne, or Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Attributed to the Leagros Group Greek, Athens, about 510 B.C. Terracotta 11 7/8 in. 86.AE.80 As the last of his twelve labors, the Greek hero Herakles had to capture Kerberos, the monstrous three-headed dog of Hades. On this black-figure neck-amphora, Herakles holds his club and strides forward, driving the beast before him. With him are two divine helpers, Athena and Hermes. Athena, the goddess of war and patron of heroes, raises her arm in a gesture of greeting, while Hermes aids the hero in his role as guide to the Underworld. In some versions of the myth, Hermes distracted Kerberos with food while Herakles put him on a leash. Perhaps that critical role of Hermes is implied on this vase, because the two visible heads of Kerberos look intently at him. On the back of the vase, Dionysos, the god of wine, and his wife Ariadne stand flanked by satyrs, half-human companions of the god. Dionysos holds his usual attributes of a drinking horn and an ivy branch. Dionysiac scenes were popular and fitting decoration for vases like this amphora that were used in a symposion or drinking party. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13799

Storage Jar with Medusa Greek, made in Athens, 530-520 BC Terracotta Black-figured neck amphora attributed to the Class of Neck Amphorae with Shoulder Pictures as painter Inventory # 86.AE.77 The Gorgon Medusa-- her tongue protruding from her fangs-- appears at the center of two large, staring eyes on the shoulder of this vessel. Her petrifying image as well as the eyes were believed to ward off evil. Here Medusa is shown with her knees bent, a convention used by Greek artists to convey the idea of rapid movement. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar with Medusa Greek, made in Athens, 530-520 BC Terracotta Black-figured neck amphora attributed to the Class of Neck Amphorae with Shoulder Pictures as painter Inventory # 86.AE.77 The Gorgon Medusa-- her tongue protruding from her fangs-- appears at the center of two large, staring eyes on the shoulder of this vessel. Her petrifying image as well as the eyes were believed to ward off evil. Here Medusa is shown with her knees bent, a convention used by Greek artists to convey the idea of rapid movement. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar with a Combat Scene Greek, made in Athens, about 540 BC Terracotta Black-figured "Tyrrhenian" amphora Inventory # 96.AE.311 Two hoplites (foot soldiers) fight with spears on this storage jar. While the scene may be taken from life, the presence of witnesses flanking the warriors suggests that this is a mythological battle. The letters alongside the figures do not form recognizable Greek words, so they do not help identify the combatants or the myth alluded to here. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar with a Combat Scene Greek, made in Athens, about 540 BC Terracotta Black-figured "Tyrrhenian" amphora Inventory # 96.AE.311 Two hoplites (foot soldiers) fight with spears on this storage jar. While the scene may be taken from life, the presence of witnesses flanking the warriors suggests that this is a mythological battle. The letters alongside the figures do not form recognizable Greek words, so they do not help identify the combatants or the myth alluded to here. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar with Achilles and Ajax Gaming Attributed to the Leagros Group Greek, Athens, about 510 B.C. Terracotta 17 13/16 to 18 1/16 x 11 15/16 in. 86.AE.81 Scenes from the mythological Trojan War decorate this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. On the front, Achilles and Ajax, two great heroes of the Greeks, sit playing a board game. The goddess Athena stands in front of the board and gestures. The warriors have their armor and weapons ready, as if just pausing during a break in the conflict. This scene of Ajax and Achilles gaming was very popular in Athenian vase-painting of the late 500s B.C. and was a favorite of the painters in the Leagros Group. Many scholars believe that this mythological scene also served as a contemporary political parable on the value of staying alert, since the tyrant Peisistratos had been able to take control of the city of Athens while the army was distracted. The back of the vase depicts three hoplites, or warriors, in a line. Such files of hoplites are rather unusual in vase-painting, and this depiction may have been meant to relate to the scene on the front of the vase. These hoplites may be Greeks on the march to counter a Trojan attack, while Ajax and Achilles are notified by Athena. Such an interpretation would explain Athena's unusually prominent position on this rendition of the scene. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13800

Storage Jar Group E Greek, Athens, about 550 B.C. Terracotta 85.AE.376 Scenes of combat decorate this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. On the front of the vase, the Greek hero Theseus battles the Minotaur. The Minotaur, a monster with a bull's head and a human body, lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete and devoured human sacrifices sent as tribute from Athens. The hero has just stabbed the beast with his sword, and blood streams from the wound. A youth and a girl--representatives of the fourteen youths and maidens saved from sacrifice by Theseus's victory over the monster-stand at each side watching. The heroic combat on the front is balanced by a scene of mortal warriors on the back of the vase. Two hoplites, or heavily armed soldiers, face off with spears raised, between onlookers. The woman holds a wreath for the victor. The artists of Group E consciously broke with convention. Although the main scenes on this vase are not unusual, the artists of Group E combined them with new ornamental patterns and placed them on a special form of neck-amphora that they invented, with a wide neck opening and a broad shoulder. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13188

Storage Jar Group E Greek, Athens, about 550 B.C. Terracotta 85.AE.376 Scenes of combat decorate this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. On the front of the vase, the Greek hero Theseus battles the Minotaur. The Minotaur, a monster with a bull's head and a human body, lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete and devoured human sacrifices sent as tribute from Athens. The hero has just stabbed the beast with his sword, and blood streams from the wound. A youth and a girl--representatives of the fourteen youths and maidens saved from sacrifice by Theseus's victory over the monster-stand at each side watching. The heroic combat on the front is balanced by a scene of mortal warriors on the back of the vase. Two hoplites, or heavily armed soldiers, face off with spears raised, between onlookers. The woman holds a wreath for the victor. The artists of Group E consciously broke with convention. Although the main scenes on this vase are not unusual, the artists of Group E combined them with new ornamental patterns and placed them on a special form of neck-amphora that they invented, with a wide neck opening and a broad shoulder. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13188

Storage Jar with a Battle Scene Attributed to the Painter of London E543 Greek, Athens, about 540 B.C. Terracotta 14 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. 86.AE.73 In the mythological battles of the Greeks, the conflict did not end when a warrior killed his opponent. There was then a struggle over the corpse. The victorious warrior would try to strip the armor from the fallen opponent and perhaps mutilate the body or hold it for ransom, while the fallen soldier's comrades tried to win back the body. The front of this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora shows such a conflict. In the center of the scene, two warriors battle over a corpse, stripped of all its armor except for the helmet and shield. A similar scene appears to the left. To the right, a warrior chases a fleeing opponent. The scene on the back of the vase shows a group of warriors flanked by riders and onlookers, and a procession of galloping horsemen decorates the shoulder on both sides of the vase. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13792

Storage Jar with Aeneas and Anchises Attributed to the Leagros Group Greek, Athens, about 510 B.C. Terracotta 15 9/16 to 16 1/8 x 10 3/8 to 10 7/16 in. 86.AE.82 For the Greeks, the mythical Trojan War was the central event in their early history. Episodes from that conflict fill Greek art and literature. A scene from the culmination of that war, the sack of Troy, decorates the front of this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. The Trojan hero Aeneas has lifted his aged father Anchises onto his back and carries him to safety, escaping the fallen city. They are preceded by Aeneas's young son. Behind them, the goddess Aphrodite, who had once been Anchises' lover and is Aeneas's mother, gestures in grief and sympathy. The painter of the Leagros group who decorated this vase labeled Aphrodite, Aeneas, and Anchises, adding a popular formulaic comment on their beauty, but he also added a variety of nonsense inscriptions--just meaningless combinations of letters--to the vase. The back of the vase depicts Dionysos, the god of wine, frolicking with satyrs, his partially human companions. Dionysos, who carries a kantharos or drinking cup, and one of the satyrs appear to be dancing to the music played by the satyr with the aulos or double pipes. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13801

Storage Jar with Aeneas and Anchises Attributed to the Leagros Group Greek, Athens, about 510 B.C. Terracotta 15 9/16 to 16 1/8 x 10 3/8 to 10 7/16 in. 86.AE.82 For the Greeks, the mythical Trojan War was the central event in their early history. Episodes from that conflict fill Greek art and literature. A scene from the culmination of that war, the sack of Troy, decorates the front of this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. The Trojan hero Aeneas has lifted his aged father Anchises onto his back and carries him to safety, escaping the fallen city. They are preceded by Aeneas's young son. Behind them, the goddess Aphrodite, who had once been Anchises' lover and is Aeneas's mother, gestures in grief and sympathy. The painter of the Leagros group who decorated this vase labeled Aphrodite, Aeneas, and Anchises, adding a popular formulaic comment on their beauty, but he also added a variety of nonsense inscriptions--just meaningless combinations of letters--to the vase. The back of the vase depicts Dionysos, the god of wine, frolicking with satyrs, his partially human companions. Dionysos, who carries a kantharos or drinking cup, and one of the satyrs appear to be dancing to the music played by the satyr with the aulos or double pipes. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13801

Storage Jar with Herakles Carrying the Erymanthean Boar Greek, made in Athens, about 510 BC Terracotta Black-figured neck amphora attributed to the Leagros Group as painter. Inventory # 86.AE.83 Herakles was sent on his labors by King Eurystheus of Mycenae and Tiryns. One of the labors was to capture a fierce boar that ravaged the countryside around Mount Erymanthos. Here Herakles presents the beast to King Eurystheus, with Athena looking on. The frightened king hides in a large jar. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar with Dionysos Greek, made in Athens, about 510 BC Terracotta Black-figured neck amphora Inventory # 86.AE.79 Dionysos and his retinue were the most common subjects painted on amphorae, vessels typically used to store wine. In the center of this example, Dionysos is flanked by a satyr and a maenad. The god holds a kantharos (ritual cup), and vines with grape clusters cascade around him. Text from the Getty Villa museum label.

Storage Jar Attributed to a painter close to Lydos Greek, Athens, about 550 - 540 B.C. Terracotta 17 15/16 x 12 13/16 in. 86.AE.60 The Minotaur, a monster with a bull's head and a human body, was the son of the Cretan queen and a bull for which she had developed an irresistible passion. The Minotaur lived in a labyrinth on Crete and devoured human sacrifices of youths and maidens sent as tribute from Athens. When the Greek hero Theseus finally killed the monster, he freed Athens from this horrible burden. The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur was very popular on Athenian vases in the late 500s B.C., possibly due to the Athenian connection with the myth. In this rendition, Theseus plunges his sword through the monster's neck while the freed youths and maidens watch. The youths are shown nude, in poses similar to those found on contemporary kouroi. In his depiction of the encounter, the artist stressed the Minotaur's bestial nature. The Minotaur's weapon is a rock, seen clutched in his hoof-like hand, whereas civilized Theseus fights with a sword. The back of the vase shows two youths mounted on horses, greeted by family members as they return home. Such a scene of returning youths and warriors was a frequent one in Athenian vase-painting. The youths may be mythological figures such as the Dioskouroi, or they may simply be mortals. Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=13773