Achilles and Penthesileia

Title: Achilles and Penthesileia
Repository: British Museum
Alternative: Neck-amphora Vaser E280
Creator: Polygnotos
Photographer: Lowenstam, Steven
Creator Display: attributed to Polygnotos (Greek vase painter, active ca. 450-425 BCE)
Description: Pottery: red-figured neck-amphora. (a) Achilles slaying Penthesileia. Achilles, a bearded warrior wearing helmet with lowered cheek-pieces, mantle hanging from left arm, shield (device, a panther to left, red, on a red ground-line, on black ground) and spear in left hand, strides to left, swinging over his head a long sword (κοπίς) with spiral end of handle, against Penthesileia, who retreats before him, holding up in both hands her heavy battle-axe (sagaris) as if to ward off the blow: she wears anaxyrides of the usual pattern, shoes, kidaris with flat top, and a short chiton with apoptygma, tied with a dotted girdle: her head is in three-quarter face to right: at her side hangs by a purple crossbelt a quiver with wing-shaped flap. Beside her in the background her horse prances to left: below it, her bow (of Scythian form) falls to the ground. On the shield of Achilles his name is inscribed, AXΙΛΛΕΥΣ, Άχιλλεύς. (b) A bearded draped man with sceptre in right, standing en face between two women: the one on the left, at whom he looks, holds up her right hand as if addressing him: the other holds in her right a burning torch. Each wears an Ionic chiton, mantle, and earrings: the one on left has a saccos: the other a fillet. On the bottom of the foot are incised characters ΣΠA. Purple inscription, cross-belt, reins, flame, and fillets. Brown inner markings, edge of hair, tail of a horse: also for pupil of eye, which in a is of much exaggerated size. --The British Museum Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893; Walters, H B, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain 4, British Museum 3, London, BMP, 1927
View: Side; Detail
Coverage: Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece (creation) Capua, Campania, Italy (discovery)
Temporal: 450-430 BCE
Subject: Myth between Iliad and Odyssey Penthesilea
Style Period: Red-figure Attic (Mainland Greek pottery styles)
Work Type: neck amphorae
Date: -0450/-0430
Identifier: Lowenstam_VRC_01495
Item Locator: Box 4, Section 3
Rights: In Copyright
Dc Rights Holder: University of Oregon, Department of Classics
Local Collection Name: Steven Lowenstam Collection
Type: Image
Format: image/tiff
Measurements: Height: 55.245 cm
Material: pottery | painted
Set: Lowenstam Collection of Ancient Western Art and Archaeology
Primary Set: Lowenstam Collection of Ancient Western Art and Archaeology
Institution: University of Oregon
Cultural Context: Attic (culture)
Id Current Repository: 1873,0820.368