拍品專文
The scene on this gem may be a reference to Hercle's encounter with the centaur Pholus, a son of Silenus. Pholus was said to reside upon Mount Pholoe, which Hercle visited as he sought the Erymanthian boar for one of his labours. Pholus had in his possession a pithos made by Dionysus, and being a good host, Pholus opened this for Hercle. Upon smelling the aroma of the wine from the pithos, other centaurs became frenzied and tried to force their way into the cave. Hercle drove the centaurs back and pursued them all the way to Mount Pelion where he slaughtered them.
In this example we see the hero nude, twisted backward with his club by his side. The large and deeply cut pithos stands in front of him. All within a hatched border. Cf. pls. 17-22 in A. Furtwängler, Die antiken Gemmen, for similar gems depicting Hercle with a pithos.
In this example we see the hero nude, twisted backward with his club by his side. The large and deeply cut pithos stands in front of him. All within a hatched border. Cf. pls. 17-22 in A. Furtwängler, Die antiken Gemmen, for similar gems depicting Hercle with a pithos.