Red-Figure Column Krater (Mixing Vessel): Komos (Revel)

c. 470–460 BC

Red-Figure Column Krater (Mixing Vessel): Komos (Revel), c. 470–460 BC. Attributed to Pig Painter (Greek, Attic, active c. 480–460 BC). Ceramic; diameter: 40.6 cm (16 in.); overall: 42.5 cm (16 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The A. W. Ellenberger, Sr., Endowment Fund 1926.549 Used for mixing wine and water at a symposium (drinking party), this vase bears images of komasts, or revelers, potentially mirroring the actions of its users. The three bearded men on side A stand out for their earrings, long drapery, and Eastern-style headdresses, and for the parasol held by one. Similar features have been noticed on numerous other red-figure vases, now called “Anakreontic” by scholars. This name refers to Anakreon, a 6th-century BC lyric poet from East Greece sometimes credited with inventing the barbitos, the long-stringed lyre played by the central figure on side A. The youths on side B, one draped, two nude and dancing, are less unusual. These three bearded men wear earrings and Eastern-style headdresses—unusual features in fifth-century BC Athens.