Baltimore, Hopkins AIA B2
Kylix Fragment by Epiktetos
ca. 500 B.C.
B 2. Baltimore Society AIA, formerly Hartwig Collection. "Chiusi."
Greatest dimension, 15.5 cm; diam tondo, 9.5 cm. Broken all around. Includes
part of stem. Surface worn.
Tondo is bordered by narrow reserved band. Beardless youth wearing
red wreath strides forward in right profile, his knees bent, his right leg
advanced. His outstretched right hand grasps a wineskin; his left hand supports
a staff over his left shoulder, from the end of which hangs his cloak. Inscribed
in red lettering in field:
ΕΠΟΙΕΣΕΝ.
Relief contour throughout. Incised hairline.
This fragment bears the word "
epoiesen," which we know Epiktetos inscribed on vases that he both potted
and painted.
1 Typical of later archaic painting are the greater slimness and
elasticity of the thighs, the attempt at a three-quarter view with the left
shoulder advanced, and the refined profile of the face. Characteristic of
Epiktetos are the skillful composition, with the pose and scale of the youth
perfectly adjusted to the field and with the animation of the stride in harmony
with the curving frame. The incised hairline contrasts with the reserved line in
use among contemporary artists.
Bibliography
P. Hartwig, RömMitt 2 (1887):169, no. X;
P. Hartwig, JHS 12 (1891): 347, fig c;
A. E. Pottier, MonPiot 20
(1913):144, fig. 18;
Beazley
1918, 19;
Beazley, BSR 11 (1929):16 n. 3;
W. Kraiker, Jdl 44 (1919):194, no. 2;
CVA, USA fasc. 6, Robinson fasc. 2, 11, pl. I;
ARV2, 76, no. 75.
