Vase Catalog Number: Munich 2619A (inv. no. Munich J 331)

Decoration:

Interior: An ithyphallic satyr crouches, facing right, filling a krater from a wineskin. Bearded and wreathed, portrayed with a snub nose, horse ears and tail, the satyr throws his head back and sings.

Side A: Peleus and Thetis. In the center of the composition, Peleus struggles with the fleeing Thetis, moving to the right. He is depicted as bearded, wearing a chitoniskos with a wreath in his hair and a sword at his waist. The transformations of Thetis are implied by the artist in the small lion which stands on her right arm. Nereids, identified by the fish the first and fourth figures from the left are holding, flee from this central group, two to the left and three to the right. There is an altar under the left handle and a garlanded storage amphora under the right. All the figures are labelled. This cup follows the standard iconography of Archaic Attic red figure depictions of Peleus taming Thetis. For example, the Cup Munich 2648 by Douris is similar in both general composition and in details such as the fleeing fish-bearing Nereids and the single lion standing on Thetis' arm.

Side B: Komos. Seven naked youths and men dance and court. The center of the composition is occupied by a large krater. To the left of the krater, a youth with a mantle around his shoulders gestures toward the krater with his left hand and drinks from a cup in his right. To the left of this figure, another youth is about to wrap a mantle around his waist. To the right of the krater, a bearded man with a mantle around his shoulders holds out a barbiton with both hands. On each side of the central scene, there is a couple with a bearded man courting a youth, gesturing with a hand toward the youth's genitals. On the left, the man has a mantle around his shoulders and carries a stick in his left hand. On the right, the man has his mantle thrown over one arm and carries a drinking horn. The youth carries a wineskin. All the figures wear wreaths, except the man next to the krater, who wears a sakkos. The figures are labelled.

Inscriptions:

On the interior of the cup the satyr is named: SILANOS TERPON, "Terpon the silen," in front of the figure. The phrase [EDUS] OINOS, "the wine is sweet," issues from the satyr's mouth. KALOS, retrograde, EPELEIOS, "Epeleios is beautiful," is painted behind and beneath the satyr.

On Side A all the figures are labelled. In the center of the composition, THETIS, "Thetis," retrograde, is painted over the head of Peleus, and PELEUS, "Peleus," is painted to the right of Thetis. The Nereids are labelled from left: GLAUKA, "Glauka," to the right of the head; CHORA, "Chora," to the right of the head; ERATO, "Erato," retrograde to the left of the head; IRISIA, "Irisia," retrograde to the right of the head; and KUMATOTHAI, "Kymatothea," retrograde over her head.

On Side B the figures are labelled from left: [D]O[R]OTHEOS [KA]LOS NAICHI, "Dorotheos is indeed beautiful," over the two figures at the left; ISPACHOS KALOS, "Isarchos is beautiful," between the third and fourth figures; EPELIOS KALOS, "Epelios is beautiful," over the krater; THEODOROS KALOS, "Theodoros is beautiful," between the fifth and sixth figures; and K[.]PAS NAICHI KALOS, "Kopas? is indeed beautiful," above and to the left of the seventh figure.

Sources Used:

AVMunchen II, pls. 11-13; LIMC, III, Choro I; LIMC, III, Erato III

(AH)