Attributed to a Member of the Earlier Mannerist Group
Greek; Athens
Column-Krater (Mixing Bowl)
INV-0164
Attributed to a Member of the Earlier Mannerist Group
Greek; Athensabout 460 BCE
Column-Krater (Mixing Bowl)
Attributed to a Member of the Earlier Mannerist Group Greek; Athens →atticred-figurevesselearthenware
Date
about 460 BCE
Medium
terracotta, red-figure
Dimensions
46.5 × 45.6 × 38 cm (18 1/4 × 18 × 15 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Philip D. Armour and Charles L. Hutchinson
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.
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