Vase Catalog Number: Toledo 1956.70

Decoration:

Main panel: Apollo with Artemis, Leto, Poseidon, and Hermes. In the center Apollo stands facing right, playing his kithara. He is wearing a chiton, himation, and fillet. Facing him on the right are Leto and behind her, moving right but looking back, Poseidon. Leto is wearing peplos, himation, polos and fillet, while Poseidon is dressed in chiton and himation and is carrying his trident. Behind Apollo, facing him are Artemis and, on the far left, Hermes. Artemis wears a fillet, chiton, and himation, while Hermes holds his kerykeion and wears a petasos, chlamys, and boots.

Added red is used for the cord on Hermes's petasos, beard, and certain folds of his chlamys, Artemis's fillet, the folds of her himation, the dots on her chiton, Apollo's fillet, the folds of his himation, the strap and strings of his kithara, Leto's fillet, Poseidon's beard, and the folds of both of their himations. Added white includes the crown of Hermes's petasos, the flesh of the two females, and part of Apollo's kithara.

Shoulder: Herakles and the Nemean Lion. In the center of the scene Herakles, left, struggles with the lion, right. Herakles has his left knee and left elbow on the ground; with his right foot he pushes from the ground to press his weight against the lion's chest. Herakles's hands are interlocked and he has engaged the lion's head in his grip, as he forces the lion to a submissive crouch. Only the lion's rear legs and tail are still free to struggle and gesticulate. The lion's mouth is open and his tongue is visible in a near gag, while it tries to claw at Herakles's head with its left hind leg. Iolaos is directly behind Herakles on the left, moving forward with his left hand extended, carrying a club in his right. Behind him stands a woman in a chiton, impassively watching the figures to her right. Behind the lion on the right side of the scene, Athena strides forward with her spear held ready in her right hand and her aegis covering her left arm and side. Underneath it she is wearing a peplos, and a high-crested Attic helmet and fillet cover her head. Behind Athena on the far right stands Hermes, as passive as the woman on the far left; he holds his kerykeion and wears a petasos, chlamys, and boots. A sword in a scabbard and a bow and quiver hang in the field above Herakles and the lion.

In this scene added red is used for certain folds of the passive woman's chiton, Iolaos's beard and the skirt of his chiton, Herakles's beard, the border of Athena's helmet crest, her fillet, the dots on her skirt, the cord on Hermes's petasos, certain folds of his chlamys his boots, the lion's tongue, dots on its shoulder and rump, and markings on the quiver. Added white appears on the flesh of the passive woman, the dot clusters on her chiton, Iolaos's baldric, the hilt of his sword and the border of his chiton, Athena's flesh and the dot clusters on her peplos, the crown of Hermes's petasos and dot clusters on his chlamys, the hilt of the hanging sword and the butt of its scabbard, the tips of the feathers on the arrows, and the two circular attaching points for the quiver's carrying cord.

Predella: two pairs of lions confronting boars, plus the front of a third boar emerging onto the scene from the left. The boars' necks and the dots on the lions' manes and shoulders are done with added red.

Glaze is used for the mouth's and neck's interior. The base of the neck has tongues alternating in red and black, and double rows of ivy leaves define the lateral borders of the main panel. Around the base are rays, with two bands in added red between them and the predella above. The base fillet is also red.

Graffiti:

A graffito appears on the underside of the base.

Collection History: Ex collection Pourtalès.

Condition:

Most added white now faded.

Sources Used: CVA, USA fasc. 17, pp. 15-16, pls. 23-24

Other Bibliography: Dubois, J.J., 1841, Description des antiques faisant partie des collections de M. le Comte de Pourtalès-Gorgier. Paris. P. 30, no. 128; Lenormant, Ch., and J. de Witte, 1857. Élite des monuments céramographiques, vol. 2. Paris. Pp. 112-113, pl. 36 C; Catalogue des objets d'art et de la haute curiosité antiques, du moyen âge et de la renaissance qui composent les collections de feu M. le Comte de Pourtalès-Gorgier et dont la vente aura lieu en son hôtel, rue Tronchet, no. 7 le lundi 6 Février 1865 et jours suivants. 1865, no. 138; Brommer 1956, p. 79, no. 71; Brommer 1960, p. 87, no. 37, 3; Washington 1962, p. 83 and cover; Riefstahl 1968, p. 32; Brommer 1973, p. 113, no. 50

(Deirdre Beyer-Honça)