The Sarpedon Boy Krater of the Euphronius Painter
The Ancient Greeks were masters of sculpture and architecture, but they also excelled at painting, particularly in the decorative painting of ceramics used in both daily life and rituals. Over twenty thousand pots have survived to present what Wood, Cole and Gealt (1989) have characterized as an excellent overview not only of the functional uses to which the Greeks put such items, but also of the major philosophical, historical, cultural and religious currents shaping Greek life. This brief report will consider one such work û the Sarpedon Boy Krater, attributed to the painter Euphronius, and made about 515 B.C.
The Krater of the Sarpedon Boy is an excellent example of the monumental nature of a subject matched to the inherent grandeur of a pottery vesselÆs shape (Wood, et al, 1989). The piece is an example of the calyx krater, which has two small horn-shaped handles low on its sides; it is a red-figure vessel that has been described by Woodford (1986) as representative of a time of lively experimentation and bold exploration of forms, colors, techniques, and even ideas. The subject depicted on the vase is the body of a fallen warrior, Sarpedon, son of Zeus, who is being carried from the field of battle by the twins Sleep and Death under the supervision of Hermes (Wood, et al, 1989).
The body of the fallen warrior is inert and heavy, giving weight to an essentially somber action. Further adding to the strong vertical lines of the painting, and to the weight of the figures, are the bending winged figures of Sleep and Death that that struggle to life the dead boy-warrior. Wood, et al (1989), state that the scene, with its grid of animated figures which subtly echo the shape of the pot, is raised to a new level of seriousness and pathos that is seldom equaled in Western art.
The Sarpedon boy krater is an excellent example of red-figured painting and, more signific...