Diosphos Painter

Diosphos painter, neck amphora (A: Amazons with four horses, B: Amazon leads two horses), clay, quickly turned, painted (ceramic), alternately fired, clay, total: height: 23.9 cm; diameter: 13.5 cm; muzzle diameter: 11.3 cm; Base diameter: 8 cm, Inscription: nonsens, Ceramics, Amazons, Horse, Leading the horse on the rein, Chariots, late archaic, The small-format neck amphora has picture fields on the belly and neck. The vessel is varnished except for the image fields. The inner sides of the handles and the outer edge of the base plate are clayey. The neck is clearly set off against the lip and shoulder. The double beaded handles continue along the neck to the shoulder. There are two deeply incised lines between belly and foot. The picture fields are framed by fine lines, on the shoulder also by a tongue frieze. The neckpieces are identical on the sides A and B: three palmettes, the middle one facing upwards, the side ones facing downwards and all three connected by a sinuous line; dots in the gussets. The main pictures show a connected scene on A and B: Amazons harnessing a four-man team. Rich use of opaque white not only in the skin areas, but also in oriental costumes and horse harness. There are so-called nonsense inscriptions next to and below the figures. Side A shows an Amazon with helmet and armour on a chariot, to which the two yoke horses are harnessed by a second, equally equipped Amazon. Both wear short robes. A third Amazon - this one now in long oriental costume - leads the co-horse, which is shown on side B. On side B a fourth Amazon grabs the head harness or the mouth of the second horse, to which she has turned around. On side B the two co-horses of the four-in-hand are shown. This amphora is one of the sure examples of two related scenes in Attic vase painting, which actually form a representation.. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)