Kalpis-Hydria (water jar): Youth Flanked by Two Women | Harvard Art Museums

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Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1972.46
People: Attributed to The Villa Giulia Painter, Greek (active c. 460-450 BCE)
Title: Kalpis-Hydria (water jar): Youth Flanked by Two Women
Classification: Vessels
Work Type: vessel
Date: c. 475 BCE-425 BCE
Places: Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Attica
Find Spot: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Gela (Sicily)
Period: Classical period, Early
Culture: Greek
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/287008

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Terracotta
Technique: Red-figure
Dimensions: H. 27.7 cm (10 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Jacob Hirsch (said to come from Gela). Frederick M. Watkins, 1941, bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1972.

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number: Beazley Archive Database #207216

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Frederick M. Watkins
Accession Year: 1972
Object Number: 1972.46
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: Red-figure kalpis hydria. Rounded body with ogival foot, torus base and torus mouth. Relatively large side handles, tilting upwards. The scene depicts a nude youth in profile facing right with mantle draped over his left shoulder and forearm. He holds a staff in his left hand. Two women stand on either side. On the left, the woman runs to the left, her body frontal, and her head turned towards the youth. On the right, the woman stands frontal with her head to the left, facing the youth. Both women wear chitons and himations.

Both women raise their left arms, bent at the elbows, in an apparent gesture of surprise or alarm, perhaps at the man's presence.

Decoration is limited. The figures stand on a groundline consisting of a meander and are framed by a similar band. Preliminary drawings are visible and added red is used throughout for details. Vessel is unbroken with limited chipping.
Commentary: This vase is attributed to the Villa Giulia Painter, active in the mid-fifth century BCE. The painter favored scenes of everyday life and utilized stock figures to create harmonious compositions.

Publication History

J. D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters, The Clarendon Press (Oxford, England, 1963), no. 623.62
Diana M. Buitron, Attic Vase Painting in New England Collections, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1972), p. 120, no. 66.
The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1973)
Thomas Carpenter, Thomas Mannack, and Melanie Mendonca, ed., Beazley addenda : additional references to ABV, ARV² & Paralipomena, Oxford University Press (UK) (Oxford, 1989)

Exhibition History

Attic Vase Painting in New England Collections, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 03/01/1972 - 04/05/1972
The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 01/31/1973 - 03/14/1973
Veder Greco a Gela, Palazzo Pignatelli, Gela, 01/15/2004 - 03/16/2004
32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/07/2016 - 05/08/2016

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