Maiden/Muse Lekythos
Right Side View
2015-00-00
Name/Title
Maiden/Muse LekythosEntry/Object ID
93G0253Description
The vessel is white in color with black and red decoration. The vessel depicts two muses on Mt. Helicon. One is seated on a rock, inscribed H IKON, playing the kithara. The woman to the left is standing, dressed in a sleeveless chiton. Between the two women is the inscriptions A IO EI HC KA OC A KIMXO. The inscription reads “Axiopeithes, the son of Alkimachos, is beautiful."Context
White-ground pottery was restricted to lekythoi by the 5th century BC, and were made popular by the Achilles Painter, a workshop whose most famous pieces bore images of the mythology hero Achilles. The white-ground glaze was too temperamental to be used for utilitarian pottery like cups and bowls, since the delicately painted surface could be easily damaged. These vases therefore had an ornamental function, usually associated with funerary rituals. Lekythoi filled with perfumes were placed around the corpse; others were set along the approach to the grave or beside the tomb. The illustrations often recounted scenes from the life of the deceased. This lekythos was found in a young girl's grave and because of the emphasis on music and muses, it may be assumed that the girl was known for her musical abilities.Made/Created
Date made
445 BCE - 445 BCETime Period
ClassicalPlace
Institution
World Treasures, USAEthnography
Culture/Tribe
Greek - Classical