Greek, Attic / c. 470–460 BCE
Red-Figure Column Krater (Mixing Vessel): Komos (Revel)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Red-Figure Column Krater (Mixing Vessel): Komos (Revel) as ceramic (Greek, Attic · c. 470–460 BCE).
These three bearded men wear earrings and Eastern-style headdresses—unusual features in fifth-century BC Athens.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic and credits Pig Painter (Greek, Attic, active c. 480–460 BCE).
The museum's collection notes: 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 dancin
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtRed-Figure Column Krater (Mixing Vessel): Komos (Revel)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.