Artwork Page for Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios

Details / Information for Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios

Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios

c. 420–410 BCE

attributed to Meidias Painter

(Greek, Attic, active c. 420–400 BCE)
Culture
Greek, Attic
Medium
ceramic, with gilding
Measurements
Diameter: 18.6 cm (7 5/16 in.); Diameter of mouth: 8.7 cm (3 7/16 in.); Overall: 30.3 cm (11 15/16 in.); Diameter of foot: 14.5 cm (5 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1982.142
Public Domain
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Location
102B Greek
Print
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Did You Know?

A lead rivet sits at the junction of handle and neck, probably an ancient repair.

Description

The central group on this vase shows the seated earth goddess Ge (also known as Gaia) handing her baby, Erichthonios, to Athena. Conceived from the seed of Hephaistos, Erichthonios would go on to become a king of Athens, and the story of his birth became popular in Athenian art of the fifth century BC. Other representations include Hephaistos as well as Kekrops, the mythical first king of Athens, sometimes together with Zeus and other deities. But this one includes only female onlookers—likely the three daughters of Kekrops watching from above, with Aphrodite and several abstract personifications such as Peitho (Persuasion) and Eudaimonia (Happiness) standing and seated nearby.
Black, squat lekythos, a vessel with round body thinning into a cylindrical neck with a handle and funnel-like lip. On the body, orange detailing depicts the seated goddess Ge holding her child, Erichthonios, as he reaches out to Athena floating above. Several other female onlookers float around the scene, all wearing finely detailed rippling garments while Athena also wears a breastplate and helmet. Bands with geometric patterns frame the scene.

Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios

c. 420–410 BCE

Meidias Painter

(Greek, Attic, active c. 420–400 BCE)
Greek, Attic

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