![Athena Herakles Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2301 A full](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Athena_Herakles_Staatliche_Antikensammlungen_2301_A_full.jpg)
The Belly Amphora in the
Staatliche Antikensammlungen at
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
(inventory number 2301) is one of the most famous works by the
Andokides Painter
Andokides was an ancient Athenian vase painter, active from approximately 530 to 515 B.C. His work is unsigned and his true name unknown. He was identified as a unique artistic personality through stylistic traits found in common among several pai ...
. The vase measures 53.5 cm high and 22.5 cm in diameter. It dates to between 520 and 510 BC and was discovered at
Vulci
Vulci or Volci ( Etruscan: ''Velch'' or ''Velx'', depending on the romanization used) was a rich Etruscan city in what is now northern Lazio, central Italy.
As George Dennis wrote, "Vulci is a city whose very name... was scarcely remembered, b ...
. It was acquired by
Martin von Wagner, an agent of
Ludwig I of Bavaria
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
.
As a
bilingual vase
Bilingual vase painting is a special form of ancient Greek vase painting. The term, derived from linguistics, is essentially a metaphorical one; it describes vases that are painted both in the black-figure and in the red-figure techniques. It also ...
, it is an important archaeological source for the transition from attic
black-figure pottery
Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...
to the
red-figure style. Bilingual vases are uncommon, and ones that repeat the same subject in the two styles are vanishingly rare; the vase is therefore very often used to illustrate the differences between the two techniques. It is signed by the potter
Andokides, who probably made it. Some scholars assume that the black-figure side was painted by the
Lysippides Painter
The Lysippides Painter was an Attic vase painter in the black-figure style. He was active around 530 to 510 BC. His conventional name comes from a kalos inscription on a vase in the British Museum attributed to him; his real name is not known.
...
, while others suggest that he is identical with the Andokides Painter.
Description
The
Andokides Painter
Andokides was an ancient Athenian vase painter, active from approximately 530 to 515 B.C. His work is unsigned and his true name unknown. He was identified as a unique artistic personality through stylistic traits found in common among several pai ...
is generally considered to be the inventor of the red-figure style of Greek vase painting. Red-figure was an inversion of the hitherto common black-figure style. In the initial phase of red-figure painting, both variants were used side by side. In some cases, like the
belly amphora
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
described here, both styles were used in separate panels on the front and back of the same vase. This amphora is special because both sides depict the same motif in the two different techniques. Thus, both styles can be compared exemplarily. The scenes depict the most important hero of
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
,
Heracles
Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...
, drinking while reclining on a ''
klinē'' (couch).
On the black-figure side, he is shown lying in a flat position, holding a drinking cup (''
kantharos
A ''kantharos'' ( grc, κάνθαρος) or cantharus is a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking. Although almost all surviving examples are in Greek pottery, the shape, like many Greek vessel types, probably originates in metalwork. In i ...
'') in his right hand. His gaze is directed towards the goddess
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...
, who is standing in front of him. Behind her is
Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
, wearing winged sandals and a hat, followed by a nude servant, depicted slightly smaller, who is mixing wine in a ''
dinos
In the typology of ancient Greek pottery, the ''dinos'' (plural ''dinoi'') is a mixing bowl or cauldron. ''Dinos'' means "drinking cup," but in modern typology is used (wrongly) for the same shape as a ''lebes'', that is, a bowl with a spherical ...
''. In front of the couch there is a low table with meat, bread and a ''
kylix''. In the background, a vine frames the scene between the hero and the deities. Heracles' weapons are suspended above him, presumably hung on a wall.
The red-figure side differs from the black-figure one in a few regards: The servant and the herald god Hermes are absent, as are the weapons. The scene is framed by vines, but they wind about more. Heracles is depicted with his upper body raised from the couch. One of his hands is holding his knee. The two figures are more isolated than on the other scene. The ''kantharos'' is depicted in black, just as it is on the reverse and as a result it stands out much more. Athena is handing Heracles a half-opened flower. The elaborate internal detail renders their clothing much more rich in appearance than on the other side.
Gallery
File:Athena Herakles Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2301 B.jpg, Black-figure side of the amphora, detail.
File:Athena Herakles Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2301 A.jpg, Red-figure side of the amphora, detail.
See also
*
Pottery of ancient Greece
*
Art in ancient Greece
Ancient Greek art stands out among that of other ancient cultures for its development of naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body, in which largely nude male figures were generally the focus of innovation. The rate of stylistic d ...
Literature
*Michael Siebler: ''Griechische Kunst'', Taschen, Köln u.a. 2007, p. 46f.
External links
Munich 2301 in the Perseus Procekt
{{Greek amphorae
Ancient Greek vase-painting styles
Amphorae
6th-century BC works
Staatliche Antikensammlungen