About this artwork
The circular dish with knobs alongside its handles is a characteristically Apulian vessel. A patera was typically used to pour libations, but this example is unusually large. Bands of varying width containing repetitive patterns and scrolling tendrils interrupted by female heads surround a central scene depicting Hermes, the god of travelers, leading the harvest goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone from the underworld, where the girl had been held captive by Hades. Persephone was forced to return for part of every year, and during that time Demeter’s displeasure would cause the fertile earth to turn barren. Her story symbolized the life, death, and rebirth of both crops and people.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
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Culture
- Ancient Greek
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Title
- Knob-Handled Patera (Dish)
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Place
- Apulia (Object made in)
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Date
- 330 BCE–320 BCE
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Medium
- terracotta, red-figure
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Dimensions
- 17.7 × 67.3 × 68.5 cm (7 × 26 1/2 × 27 in.)
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Credit Line
- Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
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Reference Number
- 1984.10
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/102081/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.