Black Figure Painting Analysis

A hydria was a pot used for carrying water, with a handle on each side and one handle on the back. This hydria is 19 inches tall with the flat shoulder typical of the 6th century BCE. The pot was sculpted from terracotta and then black figure painted. Black figure painting is a type of pottery painting that uses black as the primary color, and red and white to accent certain aspects of the scene. Gloss was applied to the desired areas before firing the pottery, and a lack of oxygen causes the glossed pottery to turn black.
The main scene of the hydria depicts Herakles reclining on a decorated banquet couch on Mount Olympus. He wears a loose-fitting toga and appears to be eating. To the left of the couch is the goddess Athena, who wears an ornate chiton and holds a spear. On his other side is the messenger god Hermes, wearing a tunic of the same pattern as Athena’s chiton and sitting on a small stool. To the left of the banquet couch is Iolus, Herakles’ nephew and loyal follower, who appears to be leaving the scene with a spear. Underneath the banquet couch is what seems to be a bowl or pan with food hanging above it. In the background hangs Herakles’ old weapons: his bow and arrow, club, and sword. The skin of the Nemean Lion hangs between …show more content…
Defeating the Nemean lion was the first of Herakles’ labors, and he frequently wore the skin around his neck throughout his mortal life. It is fitting that the skin would hang above him on Mount Olympus, to remind him of all the trials he had to endure to achieve immortality. Similarly, the display of Herakles’ weapons evokes his previous life. He no longer needs his weapons, but he keeps them near him on Mount Olympus, perhaps to remind him of his prowess in battle. It is also possible that he is so accustomed to being a warrior that he needs his weapons near him for the sake of familiarity, even when they are