ca. 340-330 B.C.
Greece
Object qualities
-
Objecttableware: Hydria
-
Type of arts & crafts
-
MediumTerracotta
-
Size29 3/4 Г— 22 1/2 Г— 17 3/4 in. (75.6 Г— 57.2 Г— 45.1 cm) Diam. of foot: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm) Diam. of rim: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)
-
Geography details
Greece -
Country today
-
Dateca. 340-330 B.C.
-
CultureGreek, South Italian, Apulian
-
PeriodLate Classical
Source of information
-
Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
-
Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
-
The abduction of Persephone by Hades surrounded by gods
The myth of the abduction of Persephone was situated in Sicily. Hades’ chariot occupies the most prominent area of the vase. All around appear deities connected with the event—Zeus, Hades’ brother, whose sanction was needed; Aphrodite and Eros, abettors of Hades’ desire; Demeter, Persephone’s mother; torch-bearing Hecate; and Athena. The vegetation in the scene and the choice of a water jar as the shape emphasize the aspect of fertility in the story. Mythological subjects such as this commonly decorated funerary vases.
