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Lot Essay
This important kylix depicts two iconic scenes from the Trojan War, a popular subject-matter amongst Greek vase painters. On one side Troilos, son of the Trojan king Priam, is ambushed and attacked by Achilles, in response to the prophecy that Troy would not fall as long as the young prince lived. This scene of disarray is in contrast to the composure of the youth on horseback depicted on the tondo. However, the striking similarities between the two horses and the attire of the young men suggests that the tondo may depict Troilos before he is attacked, capturing the young man’s innocence and beauty as he proceeds unaware of what is about to befall him.
On the other side, Hektor is depicted in conflict with Ajax in one of several duels between the two men recorded in Homer’s Iliad. Likely represented here is the occasion in Book VII when Ajax is selected by lot to join his mighty opponent in single combat. The painter has chosen to capture the Trojan in a moment of difficulty, though his rendering in the ‘heroic nude’ reassures the viewer of his status as the hero of the Trojan cause.
The lack of a divine presence in these scenes is somewhat surprising, given that the Olympians Athena and Apollo are commonly included in such compositions. This notable exclusion, along with the painter’s decision to capture the two Trojans in moments of heightened pathos, suggests a desire to highlight the fragility of mortal life and the futility of the human condition, inevitable truths from which not even the great heroes of the epic tradition could escape.
The Pistoxenos Painter, active between circa 480 and 460 B.C., was a painter of the largest workshop in Athens specialising in cups, and his execution has been lauded for its "graceful style" (A. J. Clark et al., Understanding Greek Vases, Los Angeles, 2002, p. 58). He frequently depicted horses and warriors, his sensitive treatment of which is expressed in the present lot. S. D. Markman notes that his work "reveals his knowledge of the habits of the horse", and suggests that he "had closely observed" the animal engaged in a variety of activities (The Horse in Greek Art, New York, 1969, p. 56).
For a similar red-figured depiction of Troilos on horseback wearing chlamys and petasos and being attacked by Achilles, cf. A. Kossatz-Deissmann, 'Troilos', Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae vol. VIII, 1997, Zurich and Düsseldorf, p. 93, no. 11. For a similar representation of Hektor in combat with Ajax, cf. an Attic red-figured kylix by Douris in the Louvre, inv. no. G115.
On the other side, Hektor is depicted in conflict with Ajax in one of several duels between the two men recorded in Homer’s Iliad. Likely represented here is the occasion in Book VII when Ajax is selected by lot to join his mighty opponent in single combat. The painter has chosen to capture the Trojan in a moment of difficulty, though his rendering in the ‘heroic nude’ reassures the viewer of his status as the hero of the Trojan cause.
The lack of a divine presence in these scenes is somewhat surprising, given that the Olympians Athena and Apollo are commonly included in such compositions. This notable exclusion, along with the painter’s decision to capture the two Trojans in moments of heightened pathos, suggests a desire to highlight the fragility of mortal life and the futility of the human condition, inevitable truths from which not even the great heroes of the epic tradition could escape.
The Pistoxenos Painter, active between circa 480 and 460 B.C., was a painter of the largest workshop in Athens specialising in cups, and his execution has been lauded for its "graceful style" (A. J. Clark et al., Understanding Greek Vases, Los Angeles, 2002, p. 58). He frequently depicted horses and warriors, his sensitive treatment of which is expressed in the present lot. S. D. Markman notes that his work "reveals his knowledge of the habits of the horse", and suggests that he "had closely observed" the animal engaged in a variety of activities (The Horse in Greek Art, New York, 1969, p. 56).
For a similar red-figured depiction of Troilos on horseback wearing chlamys and petasos and being attacked by Achilles, cf. A. Kossatz-Deissmann, 'Troilos', Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae vol. VIII, 1997, Zurich and Düsseldorf, p. 93, no. 11. For a similar representation of Hektor in combat with Ajax, cf. an Attic red-figured kylix by Douris in the Louvre, inv. no. G115.