Vase Catalog Number: Berlin F 1851

Decoration:

Side A: Herakles and Acheloos. Acheloos, in the form of a centaur, tries to escape, but Herakles has grabbed him by one of his horns, pulling his head back. Acheloos raises his arms, his mouth open in a cry of alarm. His long hair falls in tresses down his sides and back, and he has a long beard. Behind Herakles and Acheloos, on the left, Hermes sits on a chest or box, his right hand raised in a salutory gesture. He wears a chiton, mantle, petasos and winged boots. Herakles, red-bearded, wears a short tunic and his lion skin. His quiver hangs from a strap behind his back and his sword is sheathed at his waist. Herakles' club leans near Acheloos' forelegs. A plant (fern?) grows next to it, its branches spreading over the entire background of the scene. On the far right, a singing bird is perched on one of the handle palmettes.

Side B: hoplite and archer leaving home. Two warriors, a hoplite and an archer, prepare to leave home. An old man and a woman (their parents?) bid them farewell. The two warriors stand side by side with the hoplite in the foreground, his shield covering their bodies from chin to thigh; the shield device is a running leg painted white. A dog stands behind the legs of the archer, looking up at them. The hoplite wears a crested helmet and greaves and carries a spear as well as a shield. The archer wears an archer's cap, a short tunic and greaves. His quiver hangs from his waist. The old man on the right, white-haired and white-bearded, holds a tall sceptre or a staff with a finial, and is wearing his mantle wrapped closely around him. On the left, the woman, her skin painted white, raises her himation-covered left hand in a gesture of farewell or dismay. The lines drawn on her neck show her age.

Inscriptions:

There are nonsense inscriptions in the figural scene on side A.

Condition:

The vase is in good condition. There is suface discoloration and loss of added colors.

Other Bibliography:

Gerhard 1843, pl. 15-16; ABS pl. 14, 1; Boardman 1974, fig. 208; LIMC, I, pl. 51, Acheloos 250; Beazley 1986, pl. 88.1.

(Kathleen Krattenmaker)