White ground Lekythos: Meeting at the Tomb

Artists

Description

On the shoulder: egg and dart pattern above three palmettes with alternating red and black petals. On the body: in the center, there is a gravestone on a two-stepped platform with a crowning ornament of scrolls, acanthus leaves and palmettes which invades the top border. A series of red fillets are tied around the gravestone. Two small circular objects are suspended in the air; might be mirrors or libation bowls (phialai). On the left there is a woman who approaches the tomb carrying a plemochoe (a distinctive type of vessel for perfumed oil) in her right hand and a fillet in her left. She wears her hair tied up by a red fillet, and she would have worn a red robe but only a few traces remain. On the right, there stands a young man with brown hair in a yellow tunic (chiton) and red cloak (chlamys). His right hand rests on the gravestone and his left holds up a long spear. His traveller’s cap (petasos) and scabbard are partially visible behind him. His shield rests in side view against the gravestone. A band of meander pattern decorates the top of the body. The vase has been broken and mended extensively, with some overpainting.

Dimensions

37.4 cm (14 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Acquired by Henry W. Haynes, c. 1873-1878. Bequest of Henry W. Haynes to the Department of the Classics, 1912. Transfer from the Department of the Classics, 1977.