This striking water vessel – or hydria – dates
from a powerfully dynamic time in the Classical
world. The hydria was a vessel designed for
holding water, with a vertical handle at the back
for dipping and pouring and two horizontal
handles at the side for lifting. Such a large and
elaborately decorated version might have been
used at a symposium (where wine was diluted
with water) or alternatively as a funeral offering
for a wealthy member of society. Red- and
black-figure wares constitute a narrative of
Mediterranean social mores in the first
millennium BC, as well as a general guide to
mythological heritage and stylistic trends.
This piece is unusual in that it comes from one
of the earliest Greek Colonies. A series of
demographic, political and economic problems in
the 8th and 7th centuries BC brought about a
major exodus to Southern Italy as well as other
sites such as Southern France and the Black Sea.
There were so many Greeks living in Italy that the
area was dubbed “Magna Graecia” – Greater
Greece – and the immigrants brought many
artistic and social traditions with them. Perhaps
most significant was the Chalcidean alphabet,
which was used by the Etruscans, and their
sculptural and painting methods. Apulia –
the origin of this piece – is a portion of Southern
Italy bounded by the Ionian and the Adriatic,
culminating in the peninsula of Salento. Magna
Graecia was eventually absorbed by the Roman
Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, yet many
of the stylistic trends that distinguish the Greeks
from other Classical groups can be seen on
pieces such as this.
Most of the notable Greek-Italian fusion red
figure ware vessels currently known come from
Apulia; there is a good chance that this piece was
made in the city of Taras, as this was the main
production centre for the area. Two main styles
were distinguished, that have a social and a
chronological basis. The main variant was the
“plain style”, which differs from the “ornate [rich]
style” in terms of the number of figures and the
manner in which they are represented. The
ornate painters tended to use larger vessels
(such as hydriai, amphorae and volute kraters)
with numerous figures arranged in multiple
registers and in extravagant colour schemes.
Grandiose decoration with more than one tier, as
evident in this example, had a short vogue in
Athens in the second half of the fifth century but
was most fully developed in southern Italy.
Personal styles are also visible; many artists can
be recognised on the basis of the way they
represent certain things, although these pieces
are rarely signed. Notable exponents of the plain
style include the Sisyphus Painter and Tarporley
Painter, while ornate artists include the
Ilioupersis Painter, the Darius Painter and the
Baltimore Painter. Earlier narratives and themes
are usually mythological, Dionysiac or
Aphrodisiac; later themes included matrimonial,
feminine and erotic iconography. Athletic and
theatrical designs also appear, but the former –
which is more of a Greek preserve – vanishes
from the stylistic repertoire after about 370 BC.
The obverse depicts a draped charioteer driving
a quadriga, holding a set of reins in his left hand
and a whip in his right. Above a winged Eros
holds a wreath above the charioteer’s head. The
details of the wings and sandals are picked out
with white highlights, as are the wheels of the
chariot. To the viewer’s far right a naked male,
possibly Hermes, is seated on a draped support
and holds a cadeucis in his right hand and a
phiale in his right. On the lower tier are three
seated figures. To the far left Athena leans
against a shield and a spear and holds aloft a
plumed helmet in her left hand. In the centre a
naked male is seated on a rocky outcrop. He
gestures towards Athena with his outstretched
right hand in which he offers a phiale. In his left
he supports a spear which intrudes into the
pictorial space of the upper tier. To the far right
a draped female is similarly seated on a rocky
outcrop facing towards the central figure. In her
outstretched right hand she holds a white
highlighted amphora and appears to be pouring
a libation.
The reverse has no figural decoration; instead it
is covered with an extremely complex palmette
design. The tongue motif adorns the area around
the handles. The neck has a band of laurel-and-
dot motifs with a rosette in the centre. Rosettes
also feature in the field below; the painter was
clearly eager to make use of all the available
space to showcase his art. The lowest band,
above the base, features the meander motif,
interspersed with hollow squares. This type of
design was borrowed from contemporary
architecture and is a common feature of high
quality Apulian wares. The hydria in is excellent
condition and would make a wonderful addition
to any collection
