Volute Krater (Mixing Bowl)

About 340 BCE

Attributed to the Painter of Copenhagen 4223
Greek; Apulia, Italy

On the front of this vessel a young warrior and a tutor or philosopher are shown standing in a naiskos (tomb) surrounded by attendants with offerings; above them is the head of the mythical poet and singer, Orpheus.

On the back, another naiskos (tomb) is decorated with large white figures. Since the krater is a funerary vessel, these figures may be symbolic representations of the dead or they may depict marble statues of the tomb’s occupants.

Status: On View, Gallery 151
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Volute Krater (Mixing Bowl)
Origin: Apulia
Date: 340 BCE
Medium: terracotta, decorated in the red-figure technique
Dimensions: 78 × 48 38.1 cm (30 3/4 × 18 7/8 × 15 in.)
Credit Line: Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
Reference Number: 1984.7
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