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Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar)

Attributed to the Nausicaä Painter
ca. 460–450 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 156
The infant Herakles strangling snakes sent by the goddess Hera

Herakles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, was one of twins conceived in a night when Alkmene, the wife of Amphitryon, was visited by both her husband and the god Zeus. Angered by his infidelity, Zeus's wife, Hera, tried to kill the infant Herakles with snakes. Here the child strangles them in the presence of his parents and Athena, his protective goddess.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar)
  • Artist: Attributed to the Nausicaä Painter
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: ca. 460–450 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Attic
  • Medium: Terracotta; red-figure
  • Dimensions: H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
    diameter without handles 11 5/16 in. (28.7 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.28
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), Nausicaä Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic
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Nausicaä Painter
2nd quarter of the 5th century BCE
Terracotta pelike (jar), Nausicaä Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic
Terracotta pelike (jar)
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ca. 460–450 BCE
Terracotta hydria (water jar), Troilos Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic
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Troilos Painter
ca. 490 BCE
Terracotta askos in the form of a boar, Terracotta, Greek, South Italian, Campanian
Terracotta askos in the form of a boar
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Terracotta oinochoe (jug)
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