Detroit Institute of Art
The Attic Panathenaic Amphora
This ceramic vase, Attic Panathenaic Amphora is more particular to me in style distinction, in-depth detail, structure design, and the color and suits my passion for the ancient Greek mythology and sophistication. This vase in particular has the orange-red color with a mix of brown that portray it as warm and excites one inner-self and drive.
The vase captures one imagination of how vibrant and exquisite an object looks even in its thousands of years given its less flashy look but so attractive to the eye. The goddess of war is symbolized by the woman on the front of the vase, Athena whose dressing is of a robe used by warriors in war, a helmet and the shield in her hand. The ceramic vase has a composition of a foot race with the main character being Athena. The style that captures one sight is when Athena is bent over in drawing to the other side which inspires the urge to move round and get a glimpse of the beautiful sculpture. Men are shown to be running with heels high and towards Athena who seems to be their safe haven.
Round the diameter of the vase a clear crack that is visible depicting its nature way before it was found and put together. Also evident are other cracks and small chips and its fading color at the bottom of the vase. A story of it is stated in the Perseus library (Tufts University), where the vase with its lid were found broken and repaired and had the white paint of the runners touched up together with the hem in Athena’s dress. Its lid was of a different kind out of the original because of its fine state.
This vases’ provenance as indicated in the DIA’s site is composed of Cyrene, being an important ancient Greek colony. Later after being loaned it was placed in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts way back in 1909 as one of Richard Norton’s collection. The later purchase of this fine piece of art, Panathenaic Amphora was by the DIA from one Charles L. Morley.
The Ancient Greek art had themes from the first Olympics to the famous gods and goddess of Greek. If the dates stated are anything to go by then this has to have been created in the late Classical period. These pieces of art were regularly used as awards during the Panathenaic games and were filled with fine olive oil. The lack of an archon inscription in this DIA’s Amphora does not rule it out as being associated with the Asterios Group. Two other Amphorae similar to this one at DIA have been found and been inscribed by the name Asterios and had a date 373-372 while the other having a date in the year 371-370 and inscribed by the archon Phrasikleides.
Early in the 4th century the figures that are shown to be sitting on top of the columns on each side of Athena were cocks representing Athena’s warrior spirit thereafter during this century they were changed to human figures thought to be a representation of Eleusis. A similar vase found in New York has figures that are thought to refer to Eleusis having a date of 367-366 this being close to the DIA’s Amphora. With reference to other studies of the early 3rd century we can conclude that this particular Amphora is of the 4th century. The left arm and leg of the runners of this 4th century Amphora are extended and not so real pose whilst the Amphora of the 3rd century having opposite arm and leg extending which depicts reality in pose. This extensive study makes me conclude with certainty that the date of the DIA’s Amphora in the Museum is 377-372 BCE.
References
Moon, Warren G. "Detroit 50.193." Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University, 2012. Web. 26 Jun 2012.
"Attic Panathenaic Amphora." Detroit Institute of Art. Detroit Institute of Art , 2012. Web. 26 Jun 2012.
Beazley, J.D. The Development of Attic Black-Figure. Revised Ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. eBook.
