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| Hydria (about 530-520 BC) Paestum, Heroon of the agora Bronze, cast, hammered, repoussé, incised Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum, inv. 49801 [Cat. no. 3] |
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Hydria (about 530-520 BC)
Hydriae were used to store and carry water, yet this bronze version of the usually functional and ordinary household vessel is highly decorative and luxurious, betraying perhaps a loftier use. This magnificent bronze hydria was found in an architectural structure in Paestum that may have been sacred to Hera. Found along with other bronze storage vessels, close examination shows it may have contained honey and quite possibly served as an offering to Hera. Two ribbon-shaped handles adorn the sides and terminate in mirror images of the foreparts of horses, which seem to be prancing. The handle, which would have been used to tip the vessel forward, emptying it of its contents, is in the form of a lion. The magnificent beast stands on his hindquarters, placed on the shoulder of the vessels, while his forepaws rest on the rim in a pose that suggests that he is trying to peek in to check the contents. Flanking the lion are two snake heads at the rim which face outward, away from the lion. The animals are a masterful combination of naturalism and stylization.Page 20 of 23 | On the next page: Lion Vessel (about 600-575 BC)