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| Keywords: Greek - Black-figure Pseudo-Panathenaic Amphora - Walters 482107 - Side B.jpg The image on the obverse of this amphora may represent the mousikoi agones or musical competitions of the Panathenaic festival Bundrick 2005 160-74 In the center of the scene a bearded man clad in an ankle-length white chiton stands on a bema or podium Facing right he holds a large seven-stringed kithara in this left hand With his right hand he plays the instrument using a plectrum attached by a string The kithara's cover hangs below Added white paint has been applied to the arms of the elaborate kithara to simulate ivory One man stands on either side of the bema perhaps representing spectators trainers or judges of the competition The kithara was a highly esteemed instrument in Archaic Greece and both Apollo and Orpheus were mythological models for human performers Shapiro 1992 69 Herodotus 1 23-24 reports the story of Arion a highly regarded and successful kitharode who was thrown overboard from a ship by men who conspired to rob him According to the tale Arion was saved by a dolphin and returned to shore unharmed which suggests that kitharodes were believed to have enjoyed the patronage of Apollo The image on this vase finds a heroic counterpart in the representation of Herakles Mousikos in which the hero appears as the performer often with Olympic deities as spectators On the amphora's obverse Athena strides to the left wearing her characteristic helmet and scaly aegis The goddess wields a spear and holds a large shield decorated with a soaring eagle Two Doric columns each with a rooster perched on top flank the goddess This is the standard configuration for one side of the Panathenaic amphora which was given as a prize at the quadrennial games in honor of the patron goddess of Athens However the size of this vase and the lack of an inscription indicate that it was not actually used as a prize ca 500 485 BC terracotta cm 44 26 9 accession number 48 2107 3696 William Randoph Hearst San Simeon date and mode of acquisition unknown Garrett Chatfield Pier Sale Anderson Galleries 1958 Walters Art Museum 1958 by purchase Museum purchase 1958 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 2009-2011 place of origin Attica Greece Walters Art Museum license Ancient Greek black-figure pottery in the Walters Art Museum Art from Greece Pseudo-Panathenaic amphoras Citharas Chiton | ||||
