The subject on the reverse of the Harvard krater is a concert, or to be more precise, a musical competition, perhaps at the Panathenaic festival. The youth leaning on his staff at the right holds the forked wand of a judge (Illustration 51), and the youth playing a cithara is wearing a musician's festal costume: a diadem and a long gown with a black border (Illustration 52).

Illustration 51

Illustration 52

The musician has just struck the strings with the plektron in his right hand (Illustration 53). The strap that normally loops around the left wrist to support the cithara while freeing the hand is instead looped over a bulge in the sound box (Illustration 54).

Illustration 53

Illustration 54

The musician has raised his head, but his mouth is closed. If he is about to sing, he is a citharode, but if he is only playing and not singing, he is properly termed a citharist; competitions for both were held at the Panathenaia.[50] Two other draped males stand at the left, a youth and a bearded man; they seem more interested in one another than in the music. The size of the vessel required the painter to add these extraneous characters; another, smaller column-krater by the painter has a more tightly-knit group of citharode and judge.[51]

[51]New York art market; Padgett 1989 (supra) no. H. 65B. The citharode, in this case a bearded man, wears the same type of gown, with a broad black border.

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