Terracotta stamnos (jar)

Attributed to the Menelaos Painter

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 159

Obverse and reverse, maenads making music

Wine, women, and song are integrated here into an exceptionally rhythmical composition. The elongated women in fluidly pleated garments move slowly forward on the obverse and stand still on the reverse. Their instruments, drinking cups, torches, and thyrsoi (fennel stalks) introduce variety into a composition that might otherwise appear stiff. The quality of the music is conveyed more by the movement of the figures than by facial expressions.

Terracotta stamnos (jar), Attributed to the Menelaos Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic

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Terracotta stamnos (jar), Attributed to the Menelaos Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic
Terracotta stamnos (jar), Attributed to the Menelaos Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic

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