Red-figure Mixing Vessel (Calyx Krater) with Dionysian Celebration and Battle Scene with Amazons and Griffins

This large mixing bowl became the centerpiece ofLife and Legend because it could fit into all four of the exhibition’s themes: war, gender, revelry, and mythical creatures. It depicts two action-filled scenes. On one side, a legendary group of women warriors, called Amazons, battle winged mythical creatures known as griffins, which have the heads of birds and the bodies of lions. On the opposite side, a raucous procession of satyrs and maenads dance around the seated god of wine and fertility, Dionysus. Satyrs are goat-footed male hybrids and maenads, known for their wild behavior, take fully human form. 

It is interesting that, because these were mythological scenes, the female figures were portrayed with more power and self-determination than women in representations of daily life. In scenes of everyday life, women were usually depicted as modest, feminine, and subservient, as befits Greek mothers, wives, and daughters. 

Another point of interest is the energy with which the scenes were painted—almost every space available on the pot was covered with active figures. The subject matter that was chosen lent itself to this interest in activity. At this time, which was towards the end of the period in which painted pottery was made, exotic mythological scenes may have provided a sense of escapism. The images of revelry seem to parody images of war; and the battle scenes take on a theatrical flair.