Boston 99.538

Boston 99.538 (Vase)

Sides A and B: Herakles and the Cretan bull.

ID:: aa_4365
Beazley Number:: 200012
Type:: Vase
Date:: ca. -525 — ca. -500
Period:: Archaic
Context:: Possibly from Vulci
Region:: Etruria
Painter:: Attributed to the Andokides Painter and Lysippides Painter
Dimensions:: H. 0.532 m., D. 0.347 m.
Ware:: Attic Bilingual
Shape:: Amphora

Shape Description

Amphora Type A.

Decoration Description

On sides A and B, nearly identical scenes of Herakles driving the Cretan Bull, that on side A in black figure, on side B in red figure. Herakles drives the bull to the right to sacrifice, holding a club in his right hand, and in his left a rope which passes around the horns of the bull, and a bundle of spits secured by slides. Herakles wears a short chiton, a lion skin, a belt, and has a sword and quiver slung at his left side and two wineskins over his left arm. The bull's head is filleted for sacrifice. Behind the bull, a tree.

On side A, added red is used for Herakles' beard, belt, quiver, one wineskin, and parts of the bull's mane and testicles, lines on its neck and ribs and one on the hindquarters. On side B, most of Herakles' figure has relief contour, and parts of the bull and the tree. Brown used for Herakles' knees, fingers and toes, wrist, elbows, the lion's eye and other details.

Collection:: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; In collection of Basseggio in 1842 and hence possible Vulci provenience. Later in collections of Joly de Bammeville and Forman.