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

PYXIDES. 365

and guttce ; from the upper part of the r. side a straight spout projects,
from which water flows into a hydria placed on the square base below ;
the hydria is already full, and the water overflows from it on the 1. ; a
girl, with a long chiton undergirt with apoptygma and hair tied with a fillet,
comes forward to remove it; above her her name, IPrOAVTH,"l7r7roA.irr?;. Behind
her comes another girl, in Doric chiton schistos fastened on the shoulders with
two upright pins, and dotted saccos with rolled-up edge, who carries in her ]., by
one of the side-handles, a hydria. On the r., a third in similar dress (without
pins) and long hair with fillet, moves away to r., looking back, raising both hands
in astonishment. Over these two figures is inscribed MAVAVPA, ^Sla\p-avpa. On
the r. is the tree of the Hesperides (?), an apple-tree round the stem of which a
snake is twined, its head turned to 1. On r., Thetis, dressed as Hippolyte, hair
looped up with a fillet, stands plucking apples with her r. ; in her 1., resting
against her body, she has already three gathered ; over her, her name, ©ETIS-,
(dins.

[For the name Mapsaura, Heydemann compares Hesiod, Theog. 872.]

E 773. PYXIS. Ht. 7 in. Diam. 5 in. Athens, 1873. Arch. Zcit. 1874, p. 112 ; Rhein. Mus.

1881, p. 470; Heydemann in Comment. Mommseni, p. 170; Kretschmer, Gr. Vaseninschr.
pp. 166, 178. Klein, Meistersig? p. 206, refers this and the two pyxides, E 772, E 774, to the
painter Megacles. Around the knob of the lid is a circle of tongue pattern (repeated under
the edge of the lid and below the design on the body) ; outside this, a band of palmettos laid
horizontally. The design forms a frieze running round the body. It is drawn in fine minute
style (cf. the knucklebone vase E 804). A yellowish-white thick colour is used for the studs
and handles of the door, fruit, and inscriptions. Purple taenia and fillet of Danae. Brown
inner details. Eye in profile. The figure of Iphigeneia is drawn entirely (excepting the hair)
in black outline against the red of the door.

Women at toilet. The locality is indicated as usual in this class of vases
by a pair of folding doors, decorated with three horizontal rows of studs, with
handle in lower and keyhole in upper partition; above them is an entablature
with triglyphs, part seen ; the right-hand door is partly open, and in the doorway
stands Iphigeneia in long sleeved chiton, part seen en face, looking to r. and
putting round her head a long taenia ; above her, her name, IdirENElA, 'Icpiyeveia.
The hinges of the open door are indicated in black silhouette. To her comes
on r. Danae, in long sleeved chiton and hair looped up with a fillet, who holds
on her 1. arm a large box with lid partly raised, from which she takes with her
r. a necklace of beads ; over her, AANAE, Aavdi]. The remainder of the scene is
occupied by two groups, separated by a Doric column ; behind Danae on the r.,
Helena, in long sleeved chiton, mantle, and spotted saccos, is seated on a
diphros to r., holding up a cord which she seems to have taken from a calathos
in front, and wound round her 1. forearm ; over her, EAENE, 'EXevrj. Confront-
ing her, Clytaemnestra stands in similar dress, holding out in her r. a lan>-e
alabastron; her hair hangs loose down her back; over her, her name
KWTAIME . . p>A, K\vT(u/j.(v)r/[ar]pa; the missing letters and part of her head
are chipped away. On the other side of the column two women are confronted