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Fragment of a Gnathian Bell Krater (Back (Side B))

Konnakis Painter

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

The woman depicted on this small fragment of a vase probably represents one of the Muses, the goddesses of learning and the arts. She holds a lyre, a harp-like stringed instrument, and her posture suggests that she is seated. Richly dressed, this muse wears a mantle decorated with groups of three white dots over her dress, and her cloth headband is equally lavish. She also wears several pieces of jewelry: a diadem, earrings, a necklace, and bracelet. The care the artist took with the rich details of this scene was typical of vases created in the 300s in the Greek colonies in South Italy.

The fragment comes from a large calyx-krater decorated in a technique that scholars call Gnathian. The painter covered the entire surface of the vase with a black glaze and then added his decoration over the glaze. The bright, wide-ranging color palette seen on this fragment is typical of Gnathian pottery. Unusual, however, is the use of shading, as in the golden color on the upper side of the forearm, to suggest roundness.

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  • Title: Fragment of a Gnathian Bell Krater (Back (Side B))
  • Creator: Konnakis Painter
  • Date Created: about 350 B.C.
  • Location Created: Gnathia, South Italy
  • Physical Dimensions: 10.7 × 11 cm (4 3/16 × 4 5/16 in.)
  • Type: Krater
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 83.AE.431
  • Culture: South Italian (Gnathian)
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California, Gift of Suzanne A. Rosenborg
  • Creator Display Name: Konnakis Painter (Greek (Gnathia), active about 375 - 350 B.C.)
  • Classification: Vessels (Containers)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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