Attic Red-Figure Lekythos

The golden apples of immortality grew in the mythological Garden of the Hesperides. On this Athenian red‑figure lekythos, four nymphs tend the trees, and the goddess Artemis approaches in a chariot drawn by deer, accompanied by a centaur. Although the Garden frequently appears in Greek art in connection with the labors of Herakles, it serves here as an idyllic setting frequented by divinities. Gardens were a favorite theme in the work of several vase‑painters in the late 400s B.C. The vase‑painter attempted to create a sense of depth and landscape in the painting by adding faintly outlined rocks, such as those that partially hide Artemis and those supporting the Hesperids.