Apulian Red-Figure Chous (Shape 3) (Side A (Main View))

The story of the mortal virgin Kallisto and her son Arkas decorates this small chous, or wine jug. On the front of the jug, Kallisto sits on a rock covered with animal skins. Willowy trees surround her, creating a woodland setting. According to myth, Kallisto spent her time in the Arcadian Mountains of Greece as a favorite hunting companion of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and childbirth. The king of the Greek gods, Zeus, was attracted to Kallisto and seduced her, which resulted in the birth of a son, Arkas, who gave his name to the area of Greece known as Arcadia. Artemis, angered at Kallisto's betrayal, (or, according to another version, Zeus's wife Hera, enraged with jealousy) changed Kallisto into a bear. On this chous, Kallisto already has the animal's pointed ears, hairy arms, and paws. She wears hunting boots and her hunting spears are propped against the rock at the left.

A male hunter is shown to the left of Kallisto, perhaps drawing back in surprise. On the right, Hermes appears to lift Kallisto's child Arkas from the ground. The messenger god wears his traditional costume of a traveling hat and cloak. His special wand, the kerykeion, rests against a stone marker behind him. Hermes is going to transport the soon-to-be-orphaned baby to his own mother, Maia, who will raise Arkas on Mount Kyllene in Arcadia.

In one version of the myth, Arkas later joins his mother Kallisto among the stars as parts of the constellations of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.