Kalpis (Front, Main View)

The relief plaque at the base of the vertical handle of this kalpis (pitcher) depicts a scene from the Gigantomachy—the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants, a mythological race of monsters who had previously ruled the earth. Athena, identified by her helmet, shield, and aegis (her scaly breastplate, bearing a central Gorgon head and outer fringe of snake heads), defeats a naked Giant who has fallen on his right knee and is being attacked by a snake encircling his body. The terrain on which the combat takes place is stippled and has several flowers seen as if from above. The vase’s shape, decorative subject, and style suggest that it was produced in the third quarter of the 4th century B.C