Psykter amphora (Chalkidian black-figure ware)
540 BCE
Medium
earthenware
Measurements
(a-b) 60.2 × 37.1 × 34.9 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1956
© Public Domain
Gallery location
18th Century Decorative Arts - Great Hall Costume Corridor
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
This amphora, with its drain hole in the base and holes under the handles, was probably a wine cooler. It would have had an internal container, creating a double walled vessel, between which icy water was poured to keep the wine cool. It is rare that the lid has been preserved. The panels on each side show scenes of fighting from the Trojan War between the Greeks and the citizens of Troy. Nearly all of the warriors are named by inscriptions written in the Chalkidian alphabet, a variant of the Greek alphabet from Chalkis, a town on the Greek island of Euboea. Everywhere the Greeks are winning: on the primary side, Achilles has stepped down from his chariot to kill the prostrate Eurymachos. On the other side, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the unusual frontal representation of Glaukos fighting Menestheus, who, according to Homer, shuddered at the sight of him.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Chalkis, Greece
Inscription
inscribed in Greek script on jar: AXI(L)LEUS EURYMACHOS ASTEROPAIOS PERIPHATAS GLAUQOS MEMESTH(EUS) (O)DYSSEU(S) AUTOMEDON HIP(P)OLOCHOS CHAROPHS DIOMEDES ME(LANIP)POS
Accession Number
1643.a-b-D4
Department
Antiquities
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Physical description
Lidded belly amphora, black-glazed with figure panels. Side A: Scene of fighting from the Trojan War; Achilles dismounts from his chariot to kill the fallen Eurymachus. Side B: Scenes of fighting from the Trojan War, with Glaucus (frontal, centre) and Menestheus. Subsidiary decoration: rays from the base and a lotus/palmette band above the panel. Much added red and white for details. There are holes at the base of the handles and a channel/drain hole in the base, suggesting the vessel was used for cooling wine.