Red-Figure Mixing Bowl (Volute Krater) with Battle Scene (Achilles killing Penthesilea) and a Departure Scene
| Attributed To | The Painter of Berlin Hydria |
|---|---|
| Culture | Greek |
| Title | Red-Figure Mixing Bowl (Volute Krater) with Battle Scene (Achilles killing Penthesilea) and a Departure Scene |
| Date | Ca. 450 BCE |
| Medium | Terracotta |
| Dimensions | rim diameter: 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm) Overall: 21 1/2 × 16 in. (54.6 × 40.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Thomas T. Solley, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 85.35 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A mixing vessel has two handles that rise from the shoulder and curl inward and to the rim. A large panel on one side of the body is decorated with two figures fighting with spears and two other warriors on either side of them. In the panel on other side a man and a woman stand on either side of a soldier.
This large krater would likely have been the centerpiece at drinking parties (symposia) in the home of a Greek aristocrat. It is a fine example of the red-figure technique, an approach that essentially reversed the earlier black-figure technique. Here, the humans and objects were outlined on the reserved clay surface and surrounded by a black background. Thinly painted lines, as opposed to sharply incised lines, were used to define details within the figures. The interest in greater flexibility of line seemed to parallel that of dramatic storytelling, which developed more fully during this period. Indeed, the decoration on both sides of this krater skillfully presents conflicting emotions.
Both sides of the vase depict scenes related to war. One side shows a ritual libation offered by family members as a soldier leaves for battle. In contrast, this battle scene is full of action and relates the mythic clash between the Greeks and Amazons during the Trojan War. The painter captured the moment when the Greek hero Achilles kills the Amazon queen, Penthesilea. This moment represents a victory for the Greeks, but the story goes on to relate that Achilles mourned Penthesilea, with whom he had fallen in love. The scene is also a fine example of the artist’s successful presentation of carefully defined figures—and objects such as shields—moving convincingly in three-dimensional space.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Red-Figure Mixing Bowl (Volute Krater) with Battle Scene (Achilles killing Penthesilea) and a Departure Scene | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=85.35