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| Hippalektryon c. 530-520 BC |
Glazed terracotta drinking vessels in classical Greece often featured a little round picture at the bottom of the cup that would be revealed after the contents had been swallowed. Above, a youth shown astride a fantastical combination of horse and rooster called Hippalektryon. Below, the mythic Gorgoneion.
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| Gorgoneion c. 520 BC |
Curators at the Metropolitan Museum confess that many of the glazed images are even today – after centuries of cumulative research – only partially understood. The maenad immediately below appears to be releasing a bird as part of a ritual, yet no source in surviving literature mentions any connection between maenads and birds. The kylix decorated with this particular maenad was also 'shaved' in antiquity, meaning that the outer rim of pottery was removed to leave only a round image on a base, transforming an object of use into an object of art with no use other than contemplation.
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| Maenad with Bird (shaved) c. 510-500 BC |
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| Maenad with Bird (shaved) c. 520-500 BC |
Young athletes below, paired with elders acting as coaches or trainers.
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| Athlete c. 460-450 BC |
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| Athlete c. 480 BC |
A theme which segues into depictions of men and youths engaging in ritualized intimacies –
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| Seated Poet c. 490-480 BC |
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| Man Offering Money to Youth c. 480-470 BC |
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| Symposium c. 430 BC |
Finally, the inevitable glorification of the Greek soldier – 1) clad in armor, 2) sounding war trumpet, and 3) with horse.
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| Contemplative Warrior c. 500 BC |
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| Sounding Battle Trumpet 500 BC |
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| Soldier with Horse c. 510-500 BC |