The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Lebes

c. 480–460 BCE

Greece

bronze
Overall: 25.4 cm (10 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1928.857
Location: 102B Greek

Did You Know?

The green surface found on old bronze is a corrosion product formed when copper in the metal reacts to carbon dioxide and water.

Description

This bronze cauldron has a ring base with three spool feet. Appliqués shaped like birds with the heads of women decorate the shoulder on either side of the vessel. Two handles are fastened to loops on the top of each creature’s wings. The bird-women may represent sirens, mythical creatures that lured sailors with their singing, or harpies, wind spirits that stole food from the starving.
  • R. H. “Art of the Early Greeks.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 15, no. 10 (December 1928): 191–197. Mentioned: p. 193; Reproduced: p. 197 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 15 archive.org
    Cooney, John D. “The Handle of a Lebes.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 52, no. 7 (September 1965): 194–197. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 195-197, figs. 2-3 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Lebes|url=false|author=|year=c. 480–460 BCE|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.857