Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Sacrifice. On the right is an altar of rough outline, as if of hewn stone, from which flames arise. On the left stands a bearded, wreathed man (a priest ?) in an himation, leaning forward against a staff, and holding out in his right over the flames a phiale; in his left he holds a sprig of myrtle, probably for lustration (purification). Above hang a lock of hair and a wreath, probably votive. The vase has received a blow while the clay was soft, which has left a vertical indentation in the centre of the design. Early fine period. Drawing in black outline; hair and staff, black silhouette; dress, pink, with folds in brown. Eye in profile. Above, a strip, closed at each end, of maeander, with two white cross squares, on white. On shoulder, a pattern of five palmettes, black on red. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos (oil-flask). Offerings at a tomb. In the centre is a broad shaft on a double plinth, surmounted by a double moulding, from the centre of which rises a small tapering stele with a triangular top. Both shaft and stele are encircled with taeniae. On the right of the stele, resting on the shaft, are a large prothesis-vase and an alabastron; on the left an alabastron, beside which hangs in the background a strigil. On each side hangs from the upper border a festooned taenia. In the foreground on the upper plinth is seated to right a woman with arms folded (representing the deceased), looking round to left; she wears a long chiton, himation around her legs, sandals, and a necklace of beads. On right a woman in a long chiton advances, holding in her left a basket containing taeniae, and with her right places on the upper plinth a large lekythos which she holds by the lip. On left, a figure, the drawing of whose body is almost entirely worn away, is seated on a tumulus on raised ground, with left hand on knees, and feet resting on the lower plinth. Late fine style. Red outline, hair in red wash with details red; chiton on left, border of himation in centre, and taeniae, red silhouette; prothesis-vase, shoulder and foot of lekythos, and some of the taeniae, black; himation in centre blue; chiton on right and some of the taeniae, green; necklace, orange-yellow. Most of the colour was added after firing, and much of it has not survived. The two faces which are preserved are in three-quarter face, and the lower eyelashes are drawn in. Above, the usual ornaments, black on a white ground; the alternate petals of the palmettes are red. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (Sleep) (?) bringing dead warrior to tomb. The tomb is in the form of a plain stele on a double plinth, decorated with numerous taeniae, and surmounted by a double projecting moulding. About one quarter of the way down from the top is a band of egg pattern, above which is painted a helmet with long hanging crest to right, the eye-holes filled in with red. The body of the warrior is about to be laid, with feet to left, on the upper plinth it has a cuirass, and a mantle is rolled up over the arms; the head, which is beardless, is held by a youthful winged figure (Hypnos), who places his hand under the warrior's arms, resting the head against his breast. A bearded winged figure (Thanatos) bends forward, supporting with his left the thighs, with his right the lower part of the legs; the beard of this figure is shaggy and the hair straight; on his body are markings in red, as if of plumage. Drawing of good period. Brown outline throughout, except wings, which are in black outline; hair in black or brown strokes on brown wash; body of Hypnos, thinned red wash; taeniae and mantle of warrior red with black folds. Eye in profile. Usual patterns. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (Sleep) (?) bringing dead warrior to tomb. The tomb is in the form of a plain stele on a double plinth, decorated with numerous taeniae, and surmounted by a double projecting moulding. About one quarter of the way down from the top is a band of egg pattern, above which is painted a helmet with long hanging crest to right, the eye-holes filled in with red. The body of the warrior is about to be laid, with feet to left, on the upper plinth it has a cuirass, and a mantle is rolled up over the arms; the head, which is beardless, is held by a youthful winged figure (Hypnos), who places his hand under the warrior's arms, resting the head against his breast. A bearded winged figure (Thanatos) bends forward, supporting with his left the thighs, with his right the lower part of the legs; the beard of this figure is shaggy and the hair straight; on his body are markings in red, as if of plumage. Drawing of good period. Brown outline throughout, except wings, which are in black outline; hair in black or brown strokes on brown wash; body of Hypnos, thinned red wash; taeniae and mantle of warrior red with black folds. Eye in profile. Usual patterns. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (Sleep) (?) bringing dead warrior to tomb. The tomb is in the form of a plain stele on a double plinth, decorated with numerous taeniae, and surmounted by a double projecting moulding. About one quarter of the way down from the top is a band of egg pattern, above which is painted a helmet with long hanging crest to right, the eye-holes filled in with red. The body of the warrior is about to be laid, with feet to left, on the upper plinth it has a cuirass, and a mantle is rolled up over the arms; the head, which is beardless, is held by a youthful winged figure (Hypnos), who places his hand under the warrior's arms, resting the head against his breast. A bearded winged figure (Thanatos) bends forward, supporting with his left the thighs, with his right the lower part of the legs; the beard of this figure is shaggy and the hair straight; on his body are markings in red, as if of plumage. Drawing of good period. Brown outline throughout, except wings, which are in black outline; hair in black or brown strokes on brown wash; body of Hypnos, thinned red wash; taeniae and mantle of warrior red with black folds. Eye in profile. Usual patterns. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (Sleep) (?) bringing dead warrior to tomb. The tomb is in the form of a plain stele on a double plinth, decorated with numerous taeniae, and surmounted by a double projecting moulding. About one quarter of the way down from the top is a band of egg pattern, above which is painted a helmet with long hanging crest to right, the eye-holes filled in with red. The body of the warrior is about to be laid, with feet to left, on the upper plinth it has a cuirass, and a mantle is rolled up over the arms; the head, which is beardless, is held by a youthful winged figure (Hypnos), who places his hand under the warrior's arms, resting the head against his breast. A bearded winged figure (Thanatos) bends forward, supporting with his left the thighs, with his right the lower part of the legs; the beard of this figure is shaggy and the hair straight; on his body are markings in red, as if of plumage. Drawing of good period. Brown outline throughout, except wings, which are in black outline; hair in black or brown strokes on brown wash; body of Hypnos, thinned red wash; taeniae and mantle of warrior red with black folds. Eye in profile. Usual patterns. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos. Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (Sleep) (?) bringing dead warrior to tomb. The tomb is in the form of a plain stele on a double plinth, decorated with numerous taeniae, and surmounted by a double projecting moulding. About one quarter of the way down from the top is a band of egg pattern, above which is painted a helmet with long hanging crest to right, the eye-holes filled in with red. The body of the warrior is about to be laid, with feet to left, on the upper plinth it has a cuirass, and a mantle is rolled up over the arms; the head, which is beardless, is held by a youthful winged figure (Hypnos), who places his hand under the warrior's arms, resting the head against his breast. A bearded winged figure (Thanatos) bends forward, supporting with his left the thighs, with his right the lower part of the legs; the beard of this figure is shaggy and the hair straight; on his body are markings in red, as if of plumage. Drawing of good period. Brown outline throughout, except wings, which are in black outline; hair in black or brown strokes on brown wash; body of Hypnos, thinned red wash; taeniae and mantle of warrior red with black folds. Eye in profile. Usual patterns. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: white-ground oinochoe. Late black figure style; design black on drab ground, with purple accessories and finely-incised lines. Trefoil mouth, and three-ribbed handle. On the neck, chequer-pattern; below, tongue-pattern, alternately black and outlined. Peleus bringing the infant Achilles to Cheiron: On the left is Cheiron to right, with a horse's body and hind-legs attached behind; he is bearded, with long tresses, striped himation over left shoulder, right hand extended, in left a pine-tree held over the shoulder. In front of him is a tree. On the right is Peleus advancing to left, bearded, with hair curly in front and striped himation, holding the infant Achilles in both arms, the latter also wearing a striped himation. Before them is a dog to right, with right hind-paw and head raised, as if greeting them. The handle terminates on each side of the mouth in a snake's head in relief, with black markings on red; at each junction of the handle with the vase is a female head in relief coloured red, of later date than the rest of the design. Under the handle is a palmette inverted, with tendrils ending in buds. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground oinochoe. A woman in a long sleeved, dotted chiton, a bordered himation, and sandals, with earrings, bracelets, and hair wound into a ball on the neck and fastened with a fillet, standing to right, twisting between the thumb and first finger of her right hand a thread from a hank of wool on a distaff which she holds up with her left. On the right, HEΠAIΣ KAΛΕ, ή παΐς καλή. The neck, handle, and foot are glazed black; the surface of the neck is slightly raised above that of the shoulder. The edge of the lip is coloured purple; at the base of the handle is an inverted palmette below a strip of egg pattern, and below the moulding on the shoulder is a band of tongue pattern; all red on black. The body is covered with a white engobe, on which the design is drawn in black outline. Purple is used for fillet, bracelets, sandals, wool, and spindle. Light brown for inner markings and upper folds of chiton and inscription. The hair is drawn in dark brown lines on a wash of light brown. Eye archaic. Below, a thin brown line. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos (oil or perfume flask). Hypnos and Thanatos, personifications of Sleep and Death, carrying the body of a warrior (perhaps Sarpedon?). The tomb is indicated by a plain stele, around which two taeniae are tied (now faded), resting on a triple plinth. On left Thanatos, winged and distinguished by his rough hair and beard, in a short chiton, bends forward holding with both arms the thighs of the dead person, whose body is supported on the right by Hypnos, with both hands under its shoulders. Hypnos is a youthful winged figure, with long straight hair falling to his shoulders, wearing short chiton which has a broad border at the upper and lower edges; he looks at Thanatos. The warrior, a youthful figure with wavy hair falling to his shoulder wears a cuirass decorated around the waist with a band of egg pattern. Drawing of good period, partly faded. Design in thinned black outline; hair dark red (faded). Chiton of Thanatos, and borders of chiton of Hypnos, and taeniae vermilion; pattern of cuirass yellow. Eye in profile. Above, maeander; on shoulder, pattern of three palmettes, brown on white. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: White-ground lekythos (oil or perfume flask). Hypnos and Thanatos, personifications of Sleep and Death, carrying the body of a warrior (perhaps Sarpedon?). The tomb is indicated by a plain stele, around which two taeniae are tied (now faded), resting on a triple plinth. On left Thanatos, winged and distinguished by his rough hair and beard, in a short chiton, bends forward holding with both arms the thighs of the dead person, whose body is supported on the right by Hypnos, with both hands under its shoulders. Hypnos is a youthful winged figure, with long straight hair falling to his shoulders, wearing short chiton which has a broad border at the upper and lower edges; he looks at Thanatos. The warrior, a youthful figure with wavy hair falling to his shoulder wears a cuirass decorated around the waist with a band of egg pattern. Drawing of good period, partly faded. Design in thinned black outline; hair dark red (faded). Chiton of Thanatos, and borders of chiton of Hypnos, and taeniae vermilion; pattern of cuirass yellow. Eye in profile. Above, maeander; on shoulder, pattern of three palmettes, brown on white. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: white-ground oinochoe. Late black figure style; design black on drab ground, with purple accessories and finely-incised lines. Trefoil mouth, and three-ribbed handle. On the neck, chequer-pattern; below, tongue-pattern, alternately black and outlined. Peleus bringing the infant Achilles to Cheiron: On the left is Cheiron to right, with a horse's body and hind-legs attached behind; he is bearded, with long tresses, striped himation over left shoulder, right hand extended, in left a pine-tree held over the shoulder. In front of him is a tree. On the right is Peleus advancing to left, bearded, with hair curly in front and striped himation, holding the infant Achilles in both arms, the latter also wearing a striped himation. Before them is a dog to right, with right hind-paw and head raised, as if greeting them. The handle terminates on each side of the mouth in a snake's head in relief, with black markings on red; at each junction of the handle with the vase is a female head in relief coloured red, of later date than the rest of the design. Under the handle is a palmette inverted, with tendrils ending in buds. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: white-ground oinochoe. Late black figure style; design black on drab ground, with purple accessories and finely-incised lines. Trefoil mouth, and three-ribbed handle. On the neck, chequer-pattern; below, tongue-pattern, alternately black and outlined. Peleus bringing the infant Achilles to Cheiron: On the left is Cheiron to right, with a horse's body and hind-legs attached behind; he is bearded, with long tresses, striped himation over left shoulder, right hand extended, in left a pine-tree held over the shoulder. In front of him is a tree. On the right is Peleus advancing to left, bearded, with hair curly in front and striped himation, holding the infant Achilles in both arms, the latter also wearing a striped himation. Before them is a dog to right, with right hind-paw and head raised, as if greeting them. The handle terminates on each side of the mouth in a snake's head in relief, with black markings on red; at each junction of the handle with the vase is a female head in relief coloured red, of later date than the rest of the design. Under the handle is a palmette inverted, with tendrils ending in buds. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: white-ground oinochoe. Late black figure style; design black on drab ground, with purple accessories and finely-incised lines. Trefoil mouth, and three-ribbed handle. On the neck, chequer-pattern; below, tongue-pattern, alternately black and outlined. Peleus bringing the infant Achilles to Cheiron: On the left is Cheiron to right, with a horse's body and hind-legs attached behind; he is bearded, with long tresses, striped himation over left shoulder, right hand extended, in left a pine-tree held over the shoulder. In front of him is a tree. On the right is Peleus advancing to left, bearded, with hair curly in front and striped himation, holding the infant Achilles in both arms, the latter also wearing a striped himation. Before them is a dog to right, with right hind-paw and head raised, as if greeting them. The handle terminates on each side of the mouth in a snake's head in relief, with black markings on red; at each junction of the handle with the vase is a female head in relief coloured red, of later date than the rest of the design. Under the handle is a palmette inverted, with tendrils ending in buds. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
Pottery: white-ground oinochoe. Late black figure style; design black on drab ground, with purple accessories and finely-incised lines. Trefoil mouth, and three-ribbed handle. On the neck, chequer-pattern; below, tongue-pattern, alternately black and outlined. Peleus bringing the infant Achilles to Cheiron: On the left is Cheiron to right, with a horse's body and hind-legs attached behind; he is bearded, with long tresses, striped himation over left shoulder, right hand extended, in left a pine-tree held over the shoulder. In front of him is a tree. On the right is Peleus advancing to left, bearded, with hair curly in front and striped himation, holding the infant Achilles in both arms, the latter also wearing a striped himation. Before them is a dog to right, with right hind-paw and head raised, as if greeting them. The handle terminates on each side of the mouth in a snake's head in relief, with black markings on red; at each junction of the handle with the vase is a female head in relief coloured red, of later date than the rest of the design. Under the handle is a palmette inverted, with tendrils ending in buds. --The British Museum, Walters, H B; Forsdyke, E J; Smith, C H, Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum, I-IV, London, BMP, 1893
On this Athenian white-ground lekythos attributed to Douris, two young warriors put on their armor, assisted by a woman and a young boy. The main lines of the bodies and clothing are drawn in black glaze, and the rest of the drawing is rendered with a brownish line made from diluted glaze. The words written between the figures are kalos inscriptions, praising Athenian youths. Large, white-ground lekythoi with outline drawing like this one are unusual in the early 400s B.C., yet three such lekythoi can be attributed to Douris. In the late 500s B.C., Athenian potters began to paint over the natural reddish color of their pottery with a highly purified clay that turned white when fired. Initially artists applied this technique to a variety of shapes. However, because the white slip was rather fragile, by the mid- 400s B.C. artists limited the use of this technique to leykthoi used in funerary ritual. --J. Paul Getty Museum