The scenes on the exterior have many figures but the compositions are strongly centralized; the action is clear, the scenes easily read. Some of the eagerness and vitality of the earlier scenes is gone, but it is replaced with a masterly ability to tell a story.

The story of Ajax and the armor of Achilles is told by other late archaic vase painters, notably the Brygos Painter and Makron (Brygos Painter: London E 69, ARV2, 369, 2; Malibu 86.AE.286: Illustration 20; Illustration 21; Illustration 22; Illustration 23; Makron: Louvre C 11271, ARV2, 460, 12; Athens, Acr. 315, ARV2, 459, 11).[5]

Illustration 20

Illustration 21

Illustration 22

Douris' Vienna cup is by far the most subtle in using composition, gesture and pose to convey the terrible story. On the side with the quarrel, Agamemnon, standing behind the disputed armor, forms a strong central vertical, his stance and position conveying the steadfastness of the decision against which Ajax vainly protest (Illustration 24). The movement of the Achaean warriors, three on each side of Agamemnon, leads the eye toward the center. Douris heightens the dramatic tension by placing the antagonists directly opposite each other, kept apart by the iron will of Agamemnon and the restraining hands of their companions. The arm gestures of the three central figures are used compositionally to suggest the conflict.

Illustration 23

Illustration 24

Illustration 25

On the other side, attention is centered on Athena who stands behind the voting block and gestures to the winner, Odysseus, who raises his hands in covetous glee while Ajax, on the far right, cradles his veiled head in sorrow and shame (Illustration 25). Their emotions reflect the results of the voting in which the other figures take part, the number of votes clearly higher on Odysseus' side. Odysseus and Ajax thus frame the scene both visually and literally, and the direction of the picture flows outward from Athena toward them.

Part 2 of this Section