Psykter with Athlete and Servant Boy and Youth and a Dog

This red-figure psykter depicts an athlete and a servant boy on the front. On the left remains the left hand and lower arm of a servant holding a bag (possibly leather) by a strap. On the right a bearded male athlete in profile to the left hunches over infibulating himself; his attention is focused on the bag held by the boy.

On the back are a youth and a boy (possibly courting) a dog. On the left a mantled youth with fillet leans forward on a staff. He holds both arms out and far apart, gesturing to the boy on the right. A dog (Laconian hound) sits on the ground to the right before the youth. The boy, who wears a mantle and fillet, stands attentively in profile to the left.

The scene on the front is unusual. The bag held by the youth is probably of leather and may be either a small punching bag ("korukos") or simply a vessel for liquid. Leather bags were used for holding oil.

The scene on the back is similar to others by the Syriskos Painter. The pose of the youth's hand is that often used by men about to or in the process of fondling their lover's genitals. This suggests a possible identification as a courting scene.

The psykter comes from the Tomb of the Leopards in Tarquinia which was excavated by the Marzi brothers in 1875.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

[Excavated at Tarquinia, in the Tomba dei Leopardi, 1874-75]; Marzi Brothers, 1875, by deposition; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [cat. no. 196], by 1897, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.