Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Lekythos with Three Amazons and Herakles
(Ancient Greece )
Herakles is depicted on this black-figure lekythos with his usual attributes, the lion skin and the club, which he holds in his right hand, and a quiver. He is facing right, grasping an Amazon who tries to escape from him, though she turns her head to face him. There is an Amazon on each side of this duel. One runs away from Herakles, while the other runs toward his captive, as if coming to her aid. All three are similarly dressed; two carry spears; one has no shield.
Herakles' ninth labor for King Eurytheus required him to retrieve the girdle of the queen of the Amazons. While the queen at first willingly acceded to Herakles' request, the goddess Hera spread a rumor among the Amazons that Herakles intended to kidnap their queen; when the Amazons attacked him, Herakles killed her and made off with her girdle. This theme was a common subject on vases depicting the Amazons, and one of the most frequently recurring subjects on vases portraying Herakles and his labors. In vase-painting the Amazon queen is usually named Andromache (she is more often named Hippolyte in the literary evidence), and the girdle itself is usually not depicted until after the 6th century.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Joseph Brummer, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1924, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2009-2011 | Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; San Diego Museum Of Art, San Diego; Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA), New York. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | technical analysis; stabilized; loss compensation | |
| 7/27/1987 | Treatment | x-ray |
Geographies
Greece, Attica (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 10 5/8 x Diam: 3 1/4 in. (27 x 8.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1924
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
48.241