Smith, Cecil Harcourt; British Museum <London> [Hrsg.]: Catalogue of the Greek and Etruscan Vases in the British Museum (Band 3): Vases of the finest period (London, 1896)

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E 468—470. CRATERS WITH VOLUTE HANDLES.

E 468. CRATER. Old No. 786.* Ht. 25? in. Diam. r8| -in. Caere ; formerly in the. possession

of Signor Alibrandi, in Rome. Archaol. Intell.-Blatt. 1836, p. 15 ; Overbeck, Her. Bildiv.
pi. 22, p. 452 ; Gerhard, A. V. iii, pi. 204, p. 112. Gerhard's drawing of (0) is reproduced in
Roscher, s.v. Eos, p. 1271. Style of Duris. Purple inscriptions, blood fillet, sword-belts in (b),
and bracelets. Brown inner markings, hair on cheek, folds on chiton of Thetis ; and brown
strokes for hair of Apollo and Thetis. Eye in archaic type. The designs occupy bands on
each side of the neck, the figures being spread out to cover the long space. Over them, a
moulding, on which is an elaborate pattern, a band of alternate palmette and flower interlaced,
on a similar band inverted ; over this, on the lip, alternate dotted cross squares and key
patterns. The body is black, but has at the bottom a band of rays ; on the moulded sides of
the handles, ivy pattern ; round each of the lower insertions, tongue pattern.

(a) Combat of Achilles and Hector in the presence of Athene and
Apollo. On the 1., Achilles (youthful) presses forward with shield advanced
and spear shortened to deal a finishing stroke to Hector (bearded), who, bleeding
from wounds in the chest and 1. thigh, sinks helplessly backwards, with shield
extended to r. and point of spear dropped ; each has a helmet with raised cheek-
pieces, and a sword at side attached to his cross-belt. Beside each is inscribed
his name, A + IWEVJ, 'A^tWeu?, f>OTx^H, "E/rra/3. On the 1., Athene, with
long chiton decorated with crosses and a border at the knees, a mantle
fastened on the r. shoulder falling in ptcryges, aegis dotted and edged with
snakes, helmet, and spear on r. arm, rushes forward with 1. arm outstretched, as
if to encourage Achilles : beside her, her name, AOENAlA, 'A-O^vala. On the r.
Apollo, youthful, with a mass of long brown hair, fillet, and mantle, moves
away to r., looking back and holding out in r. an arrow pointed towards Hector,
as if he were about to hurl it; in his r. he holds a long bow, with a raised piece
on the inner curve at the handle, and quiver at back ; before him, his name,
VnO^OHA, '\7r6\Xcov.

[The type of Apollo in this scene is reproduced, with slight differences, in three other vase-
paintings of the same subject, given in Gerhard, A. V. iii, pi. 202.]

(l>) Combat of Achilles and Memnon in the presence of Thetis and Eos.
Achilles is as in (a), except that his helmet has cheek-pieces lowered and a nasal ;
inscription as before. Memnon is bearded, and has his mouth open, as if
shouting: he rushes forward, covered with his shield foreshortened (device, a
bull's head, half seen), with a sword drawn back in his r. hand ; his armour is
the same as that of Hector ; beside him, his name, V\OV\M^VI, Mifivav. On the
1. Thetis rushes forward, her r. hand raised, her 1. extended, as if she were
clapping her hands ; her hair is long and brown, and confined with a fillet ;
she has a long chiton, a mantle over her shoulders, raised high around the back
of the neck in a shell form (cf. the Amphitrite in the Euphronios cup, Klein,
Euphronios? p. 182), and bracelets ; beside her, her name, 0ETIJ, OeVi?. On r.,
Eos runs forward, with her r. extended, and with her 1. hand tearing her hair