Fragmentary Attic Red-Figure Kylix (Main View, Bottom/Exterior)

The interior of this cup is decorated with a reserved tondo border, inside of which is a woman striding to the right, but looking left. She wears a diadem and spiral bracelets, the latter in added red. In her right hand she carries a hydria and in her left, a cushion for carrying the vessel on her head. There is an inscription in the field,“Memnon is beautiful.”



The exterior is decorated with a series of scenes from the sack of Troy. Three palm trees serve to separate the vignettes. On one side, Priam sits on the altar of Zeus Herkeios, looking to the right, with a stippled head and beard indicating short hair. With only a swag of drapery over his shoulders, he leans back anxiously, with one hand on the altar’s volute corner, and raising his flexed right leg. He extends his left arm, only partially preserved, in supplication to Neoptolemos (named) who lifts his right arm to bludgeon the king with a young boy (Astayanax). The son of Achilles is attired as a hoplite, with shield (blazon: rooster), cuirass and greaves. The infant is nude, and dangles helplessly from Neoptolemos’ arm. Seen from the back, a series of wavy incised lines indicate the hair hanging from his head. To the right of Neoptolemos is a female wearing a sakkos, perhaps Hekabe, running to the right but looking back. To the left of the tree near the altar are the figures of Menelaos and Helen, both walking to the right. Menelaos looks back as he leads Helen by her wrist with his right hand while carrying a spear and a shield with a snake device with his left. Only the lower part of Helen is preserved. Opposite the scene with the death of Priam is a fragmentary scene of the rape of Kassandra. The scene is set between two palm trees. In the middle, Ajax (named; only part of the right leg, right arm and club or sword are preserved) strides to the right to attack the kneeling Kassandra. Only the top of her head, upraised right hand and left arm, which grasps at the statue of Athena, survive. Part of the shield, left leg and drapery of Athena are extant. She is depicted in a striding stance. To the right, on the other side of one of the palm trees is a trumpeter. Armed as a hoplite (helmet, shield with triskeles blazon, greaves) he blows his trumpet. On the far left, also standing on the other side of a palm tree, is a heavily swathed female (?) figure with a fillet in added red. The cup has been reassembled from fragments. Neither the foot nor handles have been reconstructed.