Vase Catalog Number: Louvre CA 453

Decoration:

In the main panel, a young man is laid out in a prothesis depiction. His eyes are closed, and his chin is bound with a narrow tie to keep his mouth closed. His head rests on a patterned cushion; his body is covered. The legs of the kline on which he is stretched are decorated with palmette and star patterns. Four young women surround the kline, each wearing a chiton and mantle. Their hair is cut short. One woman stands at the end of the kline and adjusts the cover, while another holds the head of the corpse, and two others raise their hands in gestures of grief. On the reverse side, four young men and a boy are pictured, apparently friends and relations of the dead man. They too raise their hands in greeting to their companion.

In the lower panel are draped riders holding spears in their left hands and raising their right hands in gestures similar to those in the panel above.

On the neck two women are standing on each side, one tearing at her short hair, the other holding a loutrophoros. Both are draped to their ankles.

The rim and handle sides are decorated with wavy lines and small flowers, while the lower border of the neck panel is a band of right-facing palmettes. On the shoulder is a band of tongues and above a second band of left-facing meanders. Below the lower panel, flames project up from the black base.

Sources Used: Simon & Hirmer 1976, p. 106, nos. 130, 131 (with previous bibliography)

(Deirdre Beyer-Honça)