Amphora (jar) with Dionysos and satyrs
Place made:Athens, Greece
Culture: Greek
Date: ca. 530-510 BC
Dimensions:
h. 15 3/16 in. (38.6 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with the Grace Fortner Rider Fund
Object number: 2023.6
Provenance: With Arnold Vogell (1857-1911), Karlsruhe, Germany, by 1908; sold by A. Vogell, M. Cramer auction, Cassel, May 26-30, 1908, no. 62; sold, Sotheby's, London, May 30-31, 1927, lot 71, to Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York; by bequest to the Kevorkian Foundation, New York, 1962; sold by the Kevorkian Foundation, Parke-Bernet, New York, Feb. 25-26, 1966, lot 232; with Lillian Schloss (1922-2012) and Ezekiel Schloss (1912-1987), New York, 1966-1999; sold, Christie’s, New York, Dec. 9, 1999, lot 296; with Royal Athena Gallery, New York, 2001; with Rupert Wace Ancient Art, London, 2008; sold, Bonhams, London, April 28, 2010, lot 155, to Phoenix Ancient Art, New York; sold by Phoenix Ancient Art, Christie’s, London, July 5, 2023, lot 11, to the San Antonio Museum of Art
Label Text
This amphora probably once held wine, and Dionysos, the Greek god of wine, fittingly appears on each side. He holds grapevines and vessels used to drink wine: on this side, a rhyton or drinking horn, and on the reverse, a large cup or kantharos. The god is accompanied on each side by a satyr, one of his mythical followers known for drunkenness and wild behavior.
A pair of dramatic eyes stares back at the viewer from each side of this vase. Between them is a small nose, and above each eye is an arched brow. Eyes were a common motif on Athenian vases of the late sixth century B.C., and they appear on some of the drinking cups displayed nearby. Their ancient meaning is unknown; they may have been intended to ward off harm.
A trademark, in the form of the Greek letter eta (H) with a line at each side, is incised under the amphora’s foot. This symbol may have recorded the vessel’s price or its owner. Although it was made in Athens, the amphora was probably shipped to another destination around the Mediterranean, most likely in Italy, where Etruscan buyers acquired many Greek vases.
No record survives of the amphora’s modern rediscovery. It was first documented with a German collector, Arnold Vogell, in Karlsruhe in 1908. It had arrived in the United States by 1928 and belonged to the archaeologist, collector, and dealer Hagop Kevorkian for many years. A New York couple, Lillian and Ezekiel Schloss, owned the vase from 1966 to 1999. SAMA purchased it in the summer of 2023.
[J. Powers, 2023]
A pair of dramatic eyes stares back at the viewer from each side of this vase. Between them is a small nose, and above each eye is an arched brow. Eyes were a common motif on Athenian vases of the late sixth century B.C., and they appear on some of the drinking cups displayed nearby. Their ancient meaning is unknown; they may have been intended to ward off harm.
A trademark, in the form of the Greek letter eta (H) with a line at each side, is incised under the amphora’s foot. This symbol may have recorded the vessel’s price or its owner. Although it was made in Athens, the amphora was probably shipped to another destination around the Mediterranean, most likely in Italy, where Etruscan buyers acquired many Greek vases.
No record survives of the amphora’s modern rediscovery. It was first documented with a German collector, Arnold Vogell, in Karlsruhe in 1908. It had arrived in the United States by 1928 and belonged to the archaeologist, collector, and dealer Hagop Kevorkian for many years. A New York couple, Lillian and Ezekiel Schloss, owned the vase from 1966 to 1999. SAMA purchased it in the summer of 2023.
[J. Powers, 2023]
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
