Nolan Amphora showing Athena and Hermes
Artist, attributed to: Berlin Painter (Greek, Attic, ca. 500–ca. 460 B.C.)
ca. 480 B.C.
This Nolan Amphora was decorated using the red-figure technique by an artist known today as the Berlin Painter, widely regarded as one of the most talented vase painters of the early fifth century B.C. Unlike many other painters who preferred to demonstrate their mastery by creating complicated figural scenes, heavy with ornament, the Berlin Painter tended to simplify his compositions, frequently limiting them to a single figure set against a black ground. Such is the case here, where he has decorated one side of the vase with a depiction of Athena, standing with a spear in her left hand and a helmet in her right, and the other side with Hermes, wearing his characteristic winged sandals and holding a kerykeion (herald's staff) in his left hand. Representations of Athena holding rather than wearing her helmet are thought to show a "peaceful Athena," perhaps commemorating the peace following the victory of Athens over the Persians at the Battle of Salamis in 480 B.C.
Audio Guides
Isaí Meléndez, Student
View transcript
Hi everyone! My name is Isai. I am an undergraduate Gallery Guide in the Class of 2026.
This vessel and other amphorae were integral to key facets of ancient Greek society. Now, having survived for over two millennia, it offers an opportunity to examine Athenian culture and the pivotal era that shaped its development, providing a unique perspective on the theme of my tour: support.
All amphorae, regardless of their precise shape and size, have two handles, long necks, and tapered bottoms. Do you think these traits could suggest any particular functions? Stackable for space-efficient storage and suited for stable handling, amphorae were ideal for storing and shipping a variety of goods, such as olives, grain, and oil. Amphorae benefitted Athens’s political influence greatly, as Greece’s reliance on trade across the Mediterranean Sea established the city-state as a major commerce hub.
Decorated amphorae were prized for their artistry, often displayed in homes, traded as goods, and awarded as trophies. This amphora from circa 480 B.C. is attributed to the Berlin Painter, a renowned Classical Greek artist whose name is applied by modern scholars, derived from the city that today houses his most famous work. Unlike many of his contemporaries, this highly skilled painter avoided complicated backgrounds, instead utilizing uniformly black backdrops to better contrast the earth-red subjects of his compositions.
Here two Greek gods are featured on opposite sides of the vessel. How did the Berlin Painter portray each of them to clue viewers into their roles and identities? Athena, the goddess of war and strategy and the patron goddess of Athens itself, rests her spear and helmet in her arms, signifying a relaxed demeanor. Hermes, the god of messengers and trade, extends his caduceus, a herald’s staff indicative of protection. Both his wreath and Athena’s crown are made of olive branches and leaves, symbols of peace and friendship.
Why are these gods so prominently featured? These figures are emblematic of the peace following Greek victory in the battle of Salamis of 480 B.C., as this naval battle in the sea straits near Athens signified a climax in the Greco-Persian War. Having suffered numerous human losses and the burning of Athens, this conflict turned the tide of war, marking the retreat of Persian forces, the launch of Greek offensives, and an era of peace.
From opposite sides of the vase, the two gods extend their arms toward the other, representing their cooperation in bringing about this new age. By resting her armaments, Athena proves there is nothing more to fear, so that Hermes may guide the war-weary Greeks into a time of peace. Just as the amphora is supported by its narrow base, the imagery upholds the celebration of peace by those who live through it, as well as by those who subsequently learn from it.
- Medium
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Terracotta, red-figure with added red and dilute glaze
- Dimensions
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13 1/16 × 7 11/16 in. (33.2 × 19.5 cm)
Mouth: 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm)
Foot: 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) - Credit Line
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Gift of Rebecca Darlington Stoddard
- Accession Number
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1913.133
- Geography
- Culture
- Period
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Late Archaic
- Classification
- Disclaimer
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Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.
Provenance
Provenance
Dr. Paul Arndt, Munich; purchased for Yale University by Rebecca Darlington Stoddard, 1913Bibliography
- J. M. Padgett, ed., The Berlin Painter and His World: Athenian Vase-Painting in the Early Fifth Century B.C. (Princeton: Princeton University Art Museum, 2017), 14, 77, fig. 20, 15
- Susan B. Matheson, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Yale University Art Gallery I (Mainz, Germany: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 2011), 1–3, no. 1, pls. 1–2, 11.1–2, fig. 1
- Susan B. Matheson, Art for Yale: A History of the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2001), 62–63, fig. 49
- Jenifer Neils, Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens, exh. cat. (Hanover, Germany: Hood Museum of Art, 1992), 153, no. 15
- Elise K. Kenney, ed., Handbook of the Collections: Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 262, ill.
- Beazley Addenda: Additional References to ABV, ARV2 and Paralipomena, 2nd (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989), 192
- Christa Bauchenss-Thüriedl, Erika Simon, and Ingrid Krauskopf, Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, 8 vols. (Zurich: Artemis, 1981–97), vol. 5, p. 307, no. 205, pl. 217
- Paul Zanker, Wandel der Hermesgestalt in der attischen Vasenmalerei (Bonn, Germany: R. Habelt, 1965), 69, n.313
- Frederik Poulsen, Aus Einer Alten Etruskerstadt (Copenhagen: Fred. Høst & søn, 1927), 17, pl. 10
- Paul Victor Christopher Baur, Catalogue of the Rebecca Darlington Stoddard Collection of Greek and Italian Vases at Yale University, 1st ed. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1922), 89, no. 133, ill.
- Jay Hambidge, Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1920), 57, fig. 19
- Joseph Clark Hoppin, A Handbook of Attic Red-Figured Vases Signed by or Attributed to the Various Masters of the Sixth and Fifth Centuries B.C., 2nd ed., 2 vols. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1919), 63, no. 30, ill.
- Sir John Davidson Beazley, Attic Red Figure Vases in American Museums (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1918), 32
- Paul Victor Christopher Baur, Preliminary Catalogue of the Rebecca Darlington Stoddard Collection of Greek and Italian Vases in Yale University (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1914), 16, no. 135, ill.
Object copyright
Additional information
Object/Work type
Subject
figures (representations)Inscriptions
Traces of a possible graffito in added red under the foot.Technical metadata and APIs
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