Vase Catalog Number: Toledo 1967.154

Decoration:

Side A: Menelaos and Helen. Helen is fleeing right toward an altar, her arms outstretched to it. She is wearing a peplos and stephane. She looks back left at Menelaos, who is running in pursuit. His sword has fallen out of his right hand; in his left he holds a circular shield. He wears a Thracian helmet, chitoniskos, and baldric, and his black hair is blown back on the side, showing the speed of his chase. His chitoniskos has chevrons, dots and circles decorating its hem and shoulders. A young tree is growing behind the altar; its leaves are added red

Side B: youth departing. On the left a woman holds out a phiale to a youth opposite her. The woman is wearing a chiton, himation, and sakkos; she holds an oinochoe in her left hand. The youth is clad in a chlamys with a petasos over his left shoulder, and he holds an upright spear in his right hand. Relief contour is used for the woman's forehead and nose.

Under the rim runs a band of laurel leaves. Below the main panel is a band of stopped meanders in groups of three, with cross squares in between. The inner edge of the rim has two reserved bands about 5 cm. apart. The handle spaces and insides are reserved.

Parallels:

On Menelaos's pursuit of Helen, cf. Ghali-Kahil 1955, pp. 86 ff.

Condition:

On side A, there is a fracture running through Helen's lower eyelid.

Sources Used:

CVA, USA fasc. 17, p. 28, pl. 43

Other Bibliography:

Riefstahl 1968, p. 43; Luckner 1972; Brommer 1973, p. 407, no. 17.

(Deirdre Beyer-Honça)