Greek, Attic / c. 500–490 BCE
White-Ground Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Atalanta and Erotes
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs White-Ground Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Atalanta and Erotes as ceramic (Greek, Attic · c. 500–490 BCE).
Eros, god of love, appears three times on this vase.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic and credits Douris (Greek, Attic, active c. 500–470 BCE).
The museum's collection notes: Known as "white-ground" because of the white clay slip applied as a surface for figural decoration, vases of this type give some idea of the appearance of lost ancient large-scale wall paintings. Both remarkably well preserved and masterfully composed, the images cover the entire circumference of the vase. At the center, Atalanta, the virgin huntress renowned for both her speed and her opposition to marriage, races to the right while looking back at Eros, the winged god of love; both figures are named. This Eros, bounding forward, tries to crown her, while two additional Erotes (also named) further hem her in. Love will win.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWhite-Ground Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Atalanta and ErotesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.