Archaeological Museum of Bologna

This large krater is one of the most typical forms of the so-called “baroque” style, the most evolved and lavish of Apulian productions. The most distinctive aspect is the presence of the masks of Medusa in relief on the scrolls of the handles. The scenes depicted on the two sides, which allude to ceremonies tied to the funerary cult, were executed with the abundant use of white and yellow heightening.

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On the main side we see a small temple or naìskos, with a young warrior seated in the middle bearing a sword and a pair of lances. His position inside the tempietto indicates that he is the deceased. A man and woman, respectively on the right and left of the building, are paying homage to him, one bearing a crown and the other a garland and a box with a sprig of myrtle. On the neck of the vase, a woman’s head emerges from the calyx of a flower, amidst luxuriant plant spirals.

Provenance: University Collection (formerly the Marsili Collection)
Datation: 340–310 BC, Copenhagen Painter 4223
Material: clay
Dimensions: height cm 60; diam cm 35
Inventory #: G 393 (PU 564)