Calyx krater; side A: Nike and Poseidon; side B: woman and an old man
Greek, Attic, ca. 470 B.C.
Terracotta, red-figure, 15 13/16 x 17 11/16 in. (40.1 x 44.9 cm)
James W. Fosburgh, B.A. 1933, and Mary C. Fosburgh Collection Fund and Stephen Carlton Clark, B.A. 1913, Fund
1985.4.1
The principal image on this red-figure calyx krater presents Nike, the winged personification of Victory, pouring an offering of wine from a small oinochoe (pitcher) into a phiale (offering dish) held by Poseidon, the sea god, who sits on an elaborately decorated stool. The pairing of Nike with Poseidon may make allegorical reference to the role of the Athenian navy in the victory of the Greeks in their war with the Persians. Poseidon was believed particularly instrumental in the decisive Greek naval victory in the Battle of Salamis in 480 B.C. This victory occurred only a few years before this vase was made, judging by the transitional style of the painting, which combines a lingering late Archaic love of pattern and ornament with the early classical inclination toward fluidity and naturalism.
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