Amazzonomachia

On this fragment of an early South Italian vase, a scene of Amazonomachy plays out in faint, ghostly lines. The concave lip, everted rim, hemispherical bowl, and high, flat foot with a plastic ring are all typical of a certain class of red-figure pottery. The clay is pinkish; the glaze, evanescent. Details of hoplites, horsemen, horses, and the Amazon’s garments are incised. Overpainting in reddish-purple picks out helmets, greaves, shield rims, cloaks, and the Amazon’s short tunic. White highlights her skin, the horsemen’s tunics, and the shield devices (episemata). According to Pagliuca, the composition and rendering, especially the evanescent quality, suggest the hand of the Painter of the Mirrors. Comparisons are drawn with a lekythos in Athens, two skyphoi in Marzabotto and Liverpool, and five cups scattered from Oxford to Caltanissetta. The vase offers a delicate, fragmentary glimpse into the ancient taste for mythic combat.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.