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Lot Essay
The Swing Painter takes his name from an amphora in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which depicts a young maiden on a swing. He has an extensive body of work in a variety of shapes and frequently depicts mythological subjects, as on this example.
This amphora is a very fine example of the Swing Painter's work. On the obverse is a Gigantomachy, specifically the battle between Athena and the giant Enkelados. According to popular legend, in their battle for control of the cosmos, Athena threw Mt. Etna at Onkelados, the strongest of the Giants. Here, the Swing Painter depicts the goddess stepping forward to attack her opponent, with a weapon, likely rendered in added pigment, once in her raised left hand. In the other hand, she holds a circular shield with a tripod as the central blazon in added white. She wears her characteristic peplos, a scaly aegis and a high-crested Corinthian helmet. Onkelados, partially blocked by the goddess' shield, has fallen to his knees and leans on his shield behind. They are flanked by a giant on the left, wearing a Corinthian helmet, a scabbard across his chest, and holding a circular shield with a projecting snake. To the right, a Greek warrior, possibly Ares, is about to draw his sword from his sheath. For a similar panel depicting Athena and the giants by the Swing Painter, see no. 112 in the Pomerance Collection of Ancient Art.
On the reverse is Dionysos and Ariadne with a komast. Here, the Swing Painter depicts the union between the god of revelry and his chosen bride Ariadne after she was abandoned by Theseus. Dionysos wears a long chiton adorned with dotted rosettes and a himation, holding a rhyton and vines. Ariadne holds a patterned himation over her head, which she opens to welcome in her husband. To the left, the komast - a symbol of wine-soaked merriment - approaches with a cloth over his left arm and holding a drinking cup to his mouth and an empty oinochoe behind him. For a similar scene by the Swing Painter with Dionysos, Ariadne and Silenus, see the amphora in the Allard Pierson Museum, no. 68, pl. 69A, p. 88 in E. Böhr, Der Schaukelmaler.
This amphora is a very fine example of the Swing Painter's work. On the obverse is a Gigantomachy, specifically the battle between Athena and the giant Enkelados. According to popular legend, in their battle for control of the cosmos, Athena threw Mt. Etna at Onkelados, the strongest of the Giants. Here, the Swing Painter depicts the goddess stepping forward to attack her opponent, with a weapon, likely rendered in added pigment, once in her raised left hand. In the other hand, she holds a circular shield with a tripod as the central blazon in added white. She wears her characteristic peplos, a scaly aegis and a high-crested Corinthian helmet. Onkelados, partially blocked by the goddess' shield, has fallen to his knees and leans on his shield behind. They are flanked by a giant on the left, wearing a Corinthian helmet, a scabbard across his chest, and holding a circular shield with a projecting snake. To the right, a Greek warrior, possibly Ares, is about to draw his sword from his sheath. For a similar panel depicting Athena and the giants by the Swing Painter, see no. 112 in the Pomerance Collection of Ancient Art.
On the reverse is Dionysos and Ariadne with a komast. Here, the Swing Painter depicts the union between the god of revelry and his chosen bride Ariadne after she was abandoned by Theseus. Dionysos wears a long chiton adorned with dotted rosettes and a himation, holding a rhyton and vines. Ariadne holds a patterned himation over her head, which she opens to welcome in her husband. To the left, the komast - a symbol of wine-soaked merriment - approaches with a cloth over his left arm and holding a drinking cup to his mouth and an empty oinochoe behind him. For a similar scene by the Swing Painter with Dionysos, Ariadne and Silenus, see the amphora in the Allard Pierson Museum, no. 68, pl. 69A, p. 88 in E. Böhr, Der Schaukelmaler.