ATTRIBUTED TO THE SWING PAINTER, CIRCA 530 B.C.

One side of this splendid amphora is centered by the goddess Athena, facing left, fully armed in a high-crested helmet and snakey aegis. She wields a spear in her raised right hand and holds a circular shield in her left, a flying eagle as its blazon. Before her stands a young woman (kore) in a peplos and himation, proffering a wreath in her outstretched hands. Behind Athena is Hermes in winged boots and holding his kerykeion, walking away but looking back. On the other side of the amphora are two nude boxers in combat, their hands wrapped in leather straps (himantes). Between them is a large amphora which will be awarded to the victor. To either side stands a draped bearded man, either trainers or judges, each holding a staff. The panels are framed above by red and black tongues, with lotus-palmette chain on the neck and rays above the foot. There is a two-character graphito above the boxing scene to the left.

The most important festival celebrated in ancient Athens was the Panathenaia, established in 566 B.C., which honored the city's patron deity, Athena Polias. Every fourth year was the Great Panathenaic festival, which included musical and athletic competitions. The victors were awarded a huge prize amphora containing one metretes (over ten gallons) of oil from the goddess' sacred grove. The obverse of these amphorae always depicts the goddess between columns, usually surmounted by cocks. The reverse depicted the event for which the vase served as the prize.
Smaller scale vases of Panathenaic shape and decoration, the pseudo-Panathenaic amphorae, must have served a different function than the larger prize amphorae. According to J. Neils ("Panathenaic Amphoras: Their Meaning, Makers and Markets," in Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens, p. 44), these small-scale imitations had a capacity of approximately half that of the prize amphorae. "It has been suggested that these are either wine jars for a victory celebration or commemorative vases which functioned as souvenirs for competitors at the Panathenaia." Further, "an alternative explanation is that these jars were made as export containers for the excess olive oil from the sacred trees of Athena, known as the Moriai."

The amphora presented here, made in the generation after the founding of the Panathenaia, does not follow the standard conventions for the obverse, as it has a three-figure scene and no columns flanking Athena. Highly unusual is the presence of the kore offering a wreath to Athena. According to Valavanis (op. cit., p. 298), this subject only appears on two amphorae of this shape; the other is in Bonn. Shapiro suggests that the woman is a relative, wife or sister, of the victorious boxer, holding his crown and giving thanks to Athena (op. cit., p. 33).