This two-sided, red figure belly

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

is housed in the Classics wing of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

. It was bought during

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel (Switzerland), Miami Beach (US), Hong Kong and Paris. Art Basel provides a platform for galleries to show and sell their work to buyers, an ...

from Münzen und Medaillen, A.G., October 17, 1963. With flat handles decorated with depictions of ivy, and a double layered foot, it qualifies as a type A amphora. Dated circa 510 BCE, it was likely created by a member of the circle of

Euthymides Euthymides (; ) was an ancient Athenian potter and painter of vases. He was a member of the art movement later known as the Pioneer Group for their exploration of the new decorative style known as red-figure pottery. His works are known for t ...

in Athens. It is an early example of

red-figure pottery Red-figure pottery () is a style of Pottery of ancient Greece, ancient Greek pottery in which the background of the pottery is painted black while the figures and details are left in the natural red or orange color of the clay. It developed in A ...

which had been invented only ten years previously. It is regarded by scholars as one of the best examples of the vases that influenced artists in Etruria. It is in excellent condition, but lacks an original find-spot.

Depictions

This vase consists of two scenes on either side of the vase, separated by a floral border. Side A shows the tussle between

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

and

Herakles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through Amphitr ...

over the

Delphic Tripod Delphic may refer to: *Delphic (band), British band *Delphic Club, a final club at Harvard College * Uses as adjective: ** Of or connected with the city of Delphi, Greece ** Making of predictions: *** Delphic ambiguity *** Of or related to the Delp ...

, a common subject in painted vases. These bronze tripods were used for sacrifices, and were a very common

votive offering A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

at Archaic

Greek temple Greek temples (, semantically distinct from Latin , " temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and ritu ...

s; large numbers have been found at Apollo's important cult site of

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

, where this legend is set. Herakles is attempting to steal the particular sacred tripod of Delphi after the

Pythian oracle Pythia (; ) was the title of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness. The Pythia wa ...

refused to tell Herakles how to cure himself of a disease. Apollo attempts to stop Herakles and an argument between the two half-brothers devolves into a

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

contest. This fight is eventually broken up when the two are separated by one of

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

’ lightning bolts. Side A depicts the moment when Apollo first grabs Herakles’ bicep to stop him from absconding with the tripod. With an open mouth, he seems to beseech Herakles to reconsider his actions. Herakles wrenches his arm from Apollo, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The sacred palm in the middle of the frame serves as a barrier between the two figures and as a marker of the sacred site of Delphi. The words HERAKLEOS, KALOS, and APOLLONOS which mean Herakles, Beautiful, and Apollo respectively. Professor Warren G. Moon has noted that the depiction of Herakles silhouette and movement bear similarities to depictions by the Rycroft Painter on

black-figure pottery Black-figure pottery painting (also known as black-figure style or black-figure ceramic; ) is one of the styles of Ancient Greek vase painting, painting on pottery of ancient Greece, antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th a ...

work. Side B shows a common motif among Archaic pottery: a scuffle between a

maenad In Greek mythology, maenads (; ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of his retinue, the '' thiasus''. Their name, which comes from μαίνομαι (''maínomai'', “to rave, to be mad; to rage, to be angr ...

and a group of

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

s. The

ithyphallic A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

satyrs defend themselves from the blows of the maenad's grape vines as they advance upon her. This composition of this side, with three figures evenly spaced, with varied and expressive poses, is a type adapted by Etruscan artists in their tomb paintings, as well as vases made in Etruria.Vermeule, 153-156

Notes

References

*Crane, Gregory R.
Boston 63.1515 (Vase)
Perseus Digital Library. Accessed April 25, 2016. *

Depictions

Notes

References

Further reading