One of the painter's masterpieces, and one of the finest of all Greek vases, is a lekythos in Munich from his Middle period (Munich Shoen 80; Illustration 42).[28] Again two women are shown, but the one on the right plays a lyre and sits upon a rock labelled Helicon, the home of the Muses (Illustration 43).

Illustration 42

Illustration 43

In depicting Muses, the artist has elevated his figures to a higher level. The Muse standing at the left (Illustration 44) gestures with her right hand, as if keeping time to the music, while a bird is perched on the rock between them, an effective device for recalling the song that often accompanies instrumental music (Illustration 45).

Illustration 44

Illustration 45

The colors are very well preserved, and make one realize just how beautiful these vases were; unfortunately on most white-ground lekythoi all or part of the color is lost, and primarily the outlines remain.

Next Section