Loading

Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora (Side A/B)

Exekias

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

Scenes of combat decorate this Athenian black-figure neck-amphora. On the front of the vase, the Greek hero Theseus battles the Minotaur. This monster, with a bull's head and a human body, lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete and devoured human sacrifices sent as tribute from Athens. The hero has just stabbed the beast with his sword, and blood streams from the wound. A youth and a girl - representatives of the fourteen youths and maidens saved from sacrifice by Theseus's victory over the monster - stand at each side watching.



The heroic combat on the front is complemented by a scene of mortal warriors on the back of the vase. Two hoplites, or heavily armed soldiers, face off with spears raised, between onlookers, a man and a woman. The woman holds a wreath for the victor. Running beneath the warriors is a mock inscription, the letters scarcely legible.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora (Side A/B)
  • Creator: Group E (Workshop of Exekias)
  • Date Created: about 550 B.C.
  • Location Created: Athens, Greece
  • Physical Dimensions: 35.4 × 28.1 cm (13 15/16 × 11 1/16 in.)
  • Type: Amphora
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 85.AE.376
  • Culture: Greek (Attic)
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California
  • Creator Display Name: Attributed to Group E (Workshop of Exekias) (Greek (Attic), active 560 - 540 B.C.)
  • Classification: Vessels (Containers)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

Additional Items

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites