Red-Figure Kalyx-Krater (Mixing Bowl) (Primary Title)

attributed to, Nikias Painter, Greek, active ca. 475-ca. 450 BC (Artist)

ca. 400 BC
Greek (Attic)
Ceramics
Containers-Vessels
terracotta
Greece
Overall: 14 3/4 × 16 1/8 in. (37.47 × 40.96 cm)
81.70
According to myth, Hephaestos, god of the forge and fire, attempted to rape Athena, a virgin goddess. Afterwards, Athena cleaned herself with wool, which she dropped to the ground; Ge (or Gaia, the earth goddess), then became pregnant and bore Erichthonios. This vase shows Ge handing Erichthonios to Athena while other gods look on. Erichthonios is also the name of an early king of Athens who was later worshipped as a god in a sanctuary on the Acropolis known as the Erichtheum.
Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
"Athenian Potters and Painters: Greek Vases in Virginia Collections", Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, August 18 - September 30, 2012

“Coming of Age in Ancient Greece: Images of Childhood from the Classical Past.” Hood Museum of Art, Darmouth College (Hanover, NH): 23 August-14 December 2003; Onassis Cultural Center (New York, NY): 19 January-1 April 2004; Cincinnati Art Museum (Cincinnati, OH): 1 May-1August 2004; The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA): 14 September-5 December 2004.

“Pandora’s Box: Women in Classical Greece,” Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, MD): 5 November 1995-7 January 1996; Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas, TX): 4 February-31 March 1996; Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig (Basel, Switzerland): 28 April-23 June 1996.
November 1980 (Fritz Bürki, Zurich); [1] purchased by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond; accessioned into VMFA collection December 9, 1981. [2]

[1] In the object file, there is an invoice from Bürki, which references this object, dated November 3, 1980.

[2] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration records.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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