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Men race horse-drawn chariots.

The vessel has a wide shallow rim and large handles which connect the neck and the body of the vessel. The rim and handles are black and there are geometric repeating floral motifs on the neck. In black on a red ground there is a depiction of two double-horse chariots which run from left to right, chasing and overlapping each other as they race. The driver of one of the chariots is barely visible. The base is decorated with geometric designs in black.

Gallery Text

Chariot racing was the sport of kings, tyrants, and aristocrats. Breeding and training horses required considerable wealth, and victory in a race carried significant prestige. Chariot races are a suitable motif for friezes. The painter of this amphora made effective use of the available space to convey the event’s dynamics: four overlapping four-horse chariots speed around the vessel’s body, a charioteer ducks under a handle, and turning posts fly by. As often on black-figure vases, it is difficult to determine whether the race is mythological or drawn from real life, perhaps depicting the Olympic games, founded in 776 BCE.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1933.54
People
Circle of Leagros, Greek (active 530 - 510 BCE)
Title
Amphora (storage jar): Chariot Race
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Black-figure Neck Amphora: Chariot Race
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
510-500 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Attica
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/288110

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3410, South Arcade
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta
Technique
Black-figure
Dimensions
actual: 38 x 25 cm (14 15/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Charles Elliot Norton, Cambridge MA, (by 1908), by descent; to his children (1908-1933), sold; to the Fogg Art Museum.

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
Beazley Archive Database #302177

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, William M. Prichard Fund
Accession Year
1933
Object Number
1933.54
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • A Black-Figure Amphora in the Fogg Art Museum, Persephone (Winter 1996), Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 45-47
  • Stephen Miller, Ancient Greek Athletics, Yale University Press (New Haven, 2004), p. 78, fig. 149-150
  • John J. Herrmann Jr. and Christine Kondoleon, Games for the Gods: The Greek Athlete and the Olympic Spirit, MFA Publications (Boston, MA, 2004), no. 84, pp. 116, 181,
  • Alan W. Johnston, Trademarks on Greek Vases: Addenda, Aris and Phillips (Warminster, England, 2006)

Exhibition History

  • The Greek Athlete and the Games, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 07/20/2004 - 11/28/2004
  • 32Q: 3410 South Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu