Exekias, master of black-figure vase painting

“Exekias painted and made me,” declares the rim of this neck amphora. Just like Archaic votive offerings, the vase speaks directly to the viewer. Only a very few artworks in the ancient world were signed. Clay vessels were the most frequent objects to be signed, but very often the vase painter was not the same as the potter. Of the vases made by the Attic artist Exekias, only three are signed by him as both painter and potter. Working in Athens in the second half of the sixth century BC, Exekias has come to be known for his richly detailed black-figure paintings (cf. cat. no. 20).
The belly of the vase is painted with two matching scenes, one on each side. They are framed above and below by lotus flowers and chains of lotus buds, as well as volutes and palmettes under the handles. A front and back side are thus not differentiated, although they would be in the mid-fifth century BC and beyond.
One side shows Herakles fighting the Nemean lion, one of the famous Twelve Labours assigned to the hero by King Eurystheus. Naked and unarmed, Herakles strangles the lion into submission. The hero’s imminent victory is seen in the lion’s precarious pose, touching the ground with only one back leg. The presence of the goddess Athena also heralds victory for Herakles. Standing at right, the goddess wears an intricately patterned robe that highlights the skill of the painter. At left Herakles’ companion Iolaos, naked like his friend, watches the match, transfixed. All of the figures are named in the inscriptions painted beside them.
On the other side, two warriors clad in helmet, cuirass, and greaves lead their horses to the right. Each carries a pair of spears over his shoulder and a large white shield on his back. The painted inscriptions name them as the sons of Theseus, Demophon (right) and Akamas (left). Even the horses are named: Demophon leads Kalliphora, while Akamas leads Phalios. Incised lines and added red and white pigment enhance the men’s armour and chitons, as well as the horses’ bridles, manes, and tails. A so-called kalos inscription runs vertically between the two horses: Onetorides kalos (Onetorides is beautiful).
Kalos inscriptions appear on many Athenian vases of the sixth and fifth centuries BC. For the most part they name young men (rarely women) followed by “kalos.” The word not only points up the physical appearance of certain youths in the city, but also serves as a sort of political advertisement. Sometimes kalos inscriptions are reduced to the benign formula “The youth is beautiful,” or even just “Beautiful.” The use of such a phrase in the warrior scene lends it special significance.
Interestingly, the two sides of the vase seem intended to be compared with each other. On one side is Herakles, hero of the Peloponnese. Fighting alone, but with divine support, he embodies the ideal of individual bravery. On the other side are the two sons of Theseus, the Athenian hero par excellence. They appear here for the first time in Athenian art. Rather than acting in a mythological scene (such as the retreat from the Trojan War), they represent a facet of Athenian life: leading their horses, they are here paradigms of the hippeis, the knightly class of Athenian aristocracy.