Panathenaic Amphora (363 BC)

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Panathenaic Prize Amphora.
Storage vessel with lid.
Greek, made in Athens, 363 to 362 B.C.
Attributed to the painter of the Wedding Processions and signed by Nikodemos as potter. Terracotta.

This Greek amphora is nearly three feet in height and a foot in diameter at its widest point. With the exception of touches of white paint, two tones predominate: a red-orange terracotta (the clay from which it is made) and black painted decoration. The vessel's body resembles an elongated turnip with a disc-shaped foot. Its shoulder tapers sharply inward, leading to a slender neck, patterned with delicate lines and a slightly flared opening. Two handles spring straight from the base of the neck and curve inward to join the top of the neck where it begins to flare outward to form the opening. This flared opening and the lid are solid black; the lid's black knob resembles a large teardrop.

Two panels on the body of the amphora, each about a foot in height, contain painted scenes. On the front is the goddess Athena with white face and arms, standing and wearing a helmet and carrying a shield. She is flanked by two columns, each topped with the goddess Nike. Painted on the back is a more elaborate scene with four standing figures. At left two boxers, identified by their nude, muscular bodies and the leather straps they hold. To their left is Nike, the winged goddess of Victory, wearing a flowing sleeveless dress. She crowns the winner while at the extreme right is an older bearded and bare-chested man, the judge of the contest who seems to be pointing to the winner with his right hand. Although the figures appear flat, depth and detail are alluded to through thin white lines that denote facial features, musculature, and fabric folds.

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