Antimenes Painter Greek Hydria 530-500 B.C. Slip-glazed earthenware 20-1/8 inches high The John R. Van Derlip Fund 61.59

Look

1. The different parts of Greek vases have names. Can you find the body of this vase? The shoulder? The foot? The neck? Where do you think these names come from?
    
2. How many colors do you see on this vase? Where do you see them? Where has the artist used a sharp tool to scrape through the ENGOBE revealing the light orange clay beneath? What details was he able to include with these lines?
    
3. Find at least five different PATTERNS on this vase. How are the patterns created? What purposes might they serve? (The patterns separate the scenes from one another as well as contributing to the order and beauty of the vase.)
    
4. How many handles does this vase have? (Three.) Where are they? Can you think of any reasons why this type of pot has three handles?
    
5. How many horses can you see on the left half of the vase? How many can you see on the right half? Now count the horses' legs on the right half of the vase. How many horses do you think there are now? Why can't we see the missing one? (The Antimenes Painter used overlapping to give the illusion of depth.)
    
6. How many people are on the front of this vase? (Six.) Which one is wearing a hat? Which one is a woman? How can you tell?
    
7. An ATTRIBUTE is an object or accessory that identifies a character. Athena's attributes include armor, a cloak made of serpents, and a chariot. Identify Athena on the body of the hydria. Herakles' attributes include the short curly hair of an athlete and a red beard. Find Herakles on the hydria. Find Hermes with his attributes: a pointed traveling hat, red beard, and traveling staff.
    
8. How do you think this vase was made? (a) on a potters wheel (b) using the coil method (c) with a mold or(d) by the slab method. Explain your answer.
    

Think

1. This is called a black-figure vase. Why do you think it is called that?
    
2. Like all Greek pots, this one had a specific use and a specific name. It is called a hydria. What other words can you think of that contain "hydro" or "hydra"? (Fire hydrant, hydroelectric plants, hydrogen, etc.) Based on this name, what do you think the Greeks kept in this hydria?
    
3. The hydria was used to carry water. Two handles on the sides were for lifting it onto a person's head to carry; the third handle was used to pour. How heavy do you think it would be when it is full?
    
4. This hydria was used to carry water from a communal fountain. Why would the Greeks have bothered to decorate it so lavishly? Does decoration tell you anything about what was important to them?
    
5. The people of ancient Greece valued harmonious proportion, order, and balance in their art. How has the Antimenes Painter achieved order, harmony, and balance on this hydria? Consider color, shape, and decoration.
    
6. Herakles was a hero to the ancient Greeks because he embodied both mortal and superhuman qualities. Can you think of any modern-day hereos that embody both mortal and superhuman qualities? Who is a hero in your eyes? Why is that person a hero to you? Do you think a person can be a hero and not be physically strong? In what other ways can people be strong?
    
7. A chariot race opened some very important games begun by the Greeks in 776 B.C. We still have these games every four years. What are they called? Where does the name come from? (Mount Olympus.) Who did the Greeks think lived on the top of Mount Olympus? Read the twelve Labors of Herakles. What part of Herakles' life is illustrated on the hydria? (Athena coming with her chariot to take Herakles to live with the gods.) What animals do you see on the lower section of the hydria, beneath the figures of Herakles and Athena? (Lion and boar.) Why might these figures appear on this hydria? (They represent two of his twelve labors.)
    

Key ideas.
Where does it come from?
What does it look like?
How was it used?
How was it made?
Discussion questions.
Additional resources.

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