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Column-Krater (Mixing Bowl)

A work made of terracotta, red-figure.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of terracotta, red-figure.

Date:

about 460 BCE

Artist:

Attributed to a Member of the Earlier Mannerist Group
Greek; Athens

About this artwork

The Greeks diluted their wine by blending it with water. The master of ceremonies at the symposium, or drinking party for men, determined the ratio of wine to water, both of which were poured into a large mixing bowl, like this one. This particular shape is called a column krater after its columnar handles. It is decorated with a mythological scene. Salmoneus, king of Elis, pretended to be Zeus by imitating the sound of thunder and the appearance of lightning. Angered at his impudence, here Zeus strikes Salmoneus dead with a real lightning bolt.

Status

On View, Gallery 151

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Column-Krater (Mixing Bowl)

Place

Athens (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

460 BCE

Medium

terracotta, red-figure

Dimensions

46.5 × 45.6 × 38 cm (18 1/4 × 18 × 15 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Philip D. Armour and Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

1889.16

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/164/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.

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