Attributed to the Athena painter
c.500-475BC
Pottery
h32cm
Unique

The vase depicts an Amazon and her horse between two hoplites. the Amazon is depicted is traditional form with white-painted skin, wearing a tunic and cuirass and a high crested helmet. She is standing behind her horse, her spear pointing backwards at the hoplite standing behind her, but she is shown looking to the right at the hoplite standing in front of her. The hoplites are shown in full armour, wearing Corinthian helmets and holding a round shield and spear. There is a frieze of linked palmettes and dots on the shoulder, with a band of tongues below the neck.

Provenance:
With Dr. Jacob Hirsch, (1874 – 1955), Geneva, before 1935
Münzen und Medaillen, Auktion XVIII, 29 November 1958, lot 107
Dr. Franz J. Roesli (1899 – 1981) Collection, Lucerne, Switzerland, acquired before 1970. Roesli was a geologist and director of the Glacier Garden, Lucerne
Swiss private collection, Lucerne

Literature:
‘The Athena Painter is a lekythos painter par excellence’ (C. Haspels, Attic Black-figured Lekythoi, Paris, 1936, p. 141.)

The Athena Painter’s black-figure work was of high quality and the artist primarily worked on large lekythoi and oinochoai. His workshop was one of the production centres that developed the painting of white-ground lekythoi. See C. Haspels, Attic Black-figured Lekythoi, Paris, 1936, pp. 141-60; J. Boardman, Athenian Black Figure Vases, London, 1974, p. 113f, 147-149, figs. 250-255.

Publications:
C. Haspels, Attic Black-figured Lekythoi, Paris, 1936, p. 255, no. 7: attributed to the Athena Painter
J.D. Beazley, Paralipomena, Oxford, 1971, p. 260
Beazley Archive Pottery Database no. 351589