Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

The neck-amphora was primarily a container for liquids, such as wine, water, or oil. The shape of this amphora is typical, having a tapering body, deep shoulder, offset neck, echinus mouth, triple handles, and a torus foot. They were often lidded, and this amphora has retained its cover from antiquity, which is a rare occurrence. The lid has a pomegranate-shaped finial and is decorated with rays, concentric bands of black glaze and a double row of ivy leaves separated by a thin band in added red. The neck is decorated with a chain of palmettes and lotus blossoms. There is a small fillet where the neck joins the shoulder, and a fillet painted in added red where the body joins the foot. Rays extend upward from the base, and a band of upward facing lotus buds circles the lower part of the amphora. Below the neck on either side is a row of alternating red and black tongues. Beneath the handles, the sides of the vase are decorated with undulating tendrils, volutes, and palmettes (four to a side).

On the front side of the amphora, Herakles, his sword drawn from its sheath, is locked in combat with the fierce Lion of Nemea, which springs up on its hind legs and lunges forward, grasping the hero’s left shoulder and arm. The club of Herakles, seemingly discarded by the hero, stands diagonally near his left leg. A bow and quiver filled with arrows hangs from a baldric slung over his left shoulder and across his chest. The scene is exquisitely balanced, and the animated black figures create a lively silhouette against the reddish terracotta background.

The opposite side of the vase features Dionysus standing in the company of prancing satyrs. The god of wine is crowned with a wreath of ivy and wears a chiton and himation. He holds a drinking horn, a rhyton, in his left hand and two large grape vines in his right. Bunches of grapes hang from the leaf-covered vines. Dionysus turns round to face the satyr at the left, whose pointed equine ears and expressive face and gestures embody the joyful spirit found in the followers of this god. At the right, with his left arm raised and his lowered right arm curved around, perhaps in a dance, another satyr is likewise instilled with the joie de vivre associated with the realm of Dionysus.

Added red is used for the beard and front hair locks of Herakles and the dots on his tunic; for the lion’s mane; for the wreath, himation, and beard of Dionysus; and for the beards, front hair locks, and tails of the satyrs. Added white is used for the teeth and belly of the lion, for details on the weapons, and for the hem of Herakles’ tunic.

Herakles was one of the most revered of all Greek heroes and a favorite subject of the Antimenes Painter, the artist of this vase. One of the most prolific black-figure vase painters of the last quarter of the sixth century BC, he was regarded by Beazley as the “brother” of Psiax, since their styles are alike in many respects. The Antimenes Painter was possibly a pupil of Lydos, one of the most important early black-figure vase painters. A relatively large number of vases have been attributed to his hand, mostly neck-amphorae and hydriae, leading shapes in black-figure at this time. His compositions are neat and simple, and his figures rarely overlap. They demonstrate that late black-figure vase painting can effectively convey simple narrative, while at the same time, as in this bold and unusual composition, evoke the drama and majesty of myth.

The killing of the Nemean lion was the most popular among the Twelve Labors of Herakles, most of which were depicted in Athenian vase painting. According to legend, his initial attempt to dispatch the invulnerable lion with an arsenal of bow and arrows, club, and sword, proved futile. Eventually he succeeded only by strangling the beast, thereafter skinning it with one of its own claws. Unusual on this amphora, Herakles is depicted as confronting the lion with none of the usual onlookers, and all three of his man-made weapons are shown: club, arrows, and sword. On an amphora of circa 550 B.C., Lydos first depicted the fight as a wrestling match witnessed by three male onlookers. Soon after, on an oinochoe by the Amasis Painter, Herakles is represented with the lion in a headlock while his companion, Iolaos, and his patron, Athena stand nearby. These demonstrate the iconographic types from which the Antimenes Painter drew his inspiration. Among the closest parallels to this scene are an amphora in Boston, showing Herakles gripping the lion in a strangulation hold while Athena and Iolaos look on; and an amphora in London, where Herakles secures the lion in a headlock, with Iolaos and Hermes in attendance. The Boston and London amphorae also depict Dionysus and his followers on the reverse. When joined to the theme of Herakles and his first Labor, Dionysus and his retinue may represent a premonition of the hero’s impending victory in all twelve Labors, leading to his apotheosis and eternal life among the Olympian gods – where he enjoyed Dionysiac bliss and the pleasure of wine.

Bibliography:

Beazley, J. D. Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters. Oxford 1956, pp. 266-91

Boardman, J. Athenian Black-Figure Vases. Oxford 1974, pp. 109-11;

Burow, J. Der Antimenes Maler. Mainz 1989.