An Attic red-figure 'Kalos' kylix
Circa 510-500 B.C.
Attributed to the Proto-Panaitian Group, set on a pedestal foot with a shallow reserved step, an inscription in added wine-coloured slip under one handle translates, 'beautiful'; the tondo decoration set within a double reserved band, to show a naked boy looking up adoringly into the eyes of an older male, shown naked and partially clad in a himation, revealing his genitalia, with a striped fringe to the garment, he faces the boy with his right arm draped across his shoulder, his left arm gesturing towards him, wearing a leafy wreath of wine-coloured slip in his short hair, a knobbly staff propped up behind him, the boy shown wearing a similar leafy wreath, his hair dressed with three long strands falling across his chest and three rows of curls above his forehead shown in relief, holding a hoop and a stick, a strigil, aryballos and sponge used for bathing suspended in the field above, a Greek inscription in added wine-coloured slip in the field around them translates, 'Athenodotos is beautiful'; the exterior decorated on side (a) with an 'arming' scene showing a central youth wearing a short chiton below the waist and a wine-coloured fillet in his fringed hair, bending down to put a greave on his right leg, before him stands a bearded warrior wearing a chlamys with a fringed border, the Corinthian helmet with a long flowing horse-tail crest, holding a spear and large circular shield, its straps visible, behind the youth stand two further warriors looking on at the scene, one apparently naked, the other wearing a himation with striped fringe, both wearing crested Attic helmets and holding spears and shields, one decorated with foliate blazon, the other with a horse, a Greek inscription above the youth translates, 'The boy is beautiful'; side (b) with another 'arming' scene, the central youth wearing a short chiton below the waist with striped fringe, a thick knotted fillet in his fringed hair, bending down and holding a Chalcidian crested helmet in his right hand and in his left hand a shield resting on the ground-line, with hound blazon, behind him stands a naked warrior wearing an Attic helmet, his body twisting back towards his right holding a spear and a shield with foliate blazon, in front of him stands a naked youth looking down towards his left and holding his sword and scabbard, the baldric over his shoulder, his hair dressed with a fillet, next to him stands a warrior wearing an Attic helmet shown partially clad in a himation with a striped fringe, holding a spear and a shield with lion blazon, an inscription translates, 'The boy is beautiful', 3¼in. (8.3cm.) high, 121/8in. (31cm.) maximum diam. including handles, 9½in. (24cm.) diam. of bowl, recomposed from fragments with minor restoration
Attributed to the Proto-Panaitian Group, set on a pedestal foot with a shallow reserved step, an inscription in added wine-coloured slip under one handle translates, 'beautiful'; the tondo decoration set within a double reserved band, to show a naked boy looking up adoringly into the eyes of an older male, shown naked and partially clad in a himation, revealing his genitalia, with a striped fringe to the garment, he faces the boy with his right arm draped across his shoulder, his left arm gesturing towards him, wearing a leafy wreath of wine-coloured slip in his short hair, a knobbly staff propped up behind him, the boy shown wearing a similar leafy wreath, his hair dressed with three long strands falling across his chest and three rows of curls above his forehead shown in relief, holding a hoop and a stick, a strigil, aryballos and sponge used for bathing suspended in the field above, a Greek inscription in added wine-coloured slip in the field around them translates, 'Athenodotos is beautiful'; the exterior decorated on side (a) with an 'arming' scene showing a central youth wearing a short chiton below the waist and a wine-coloured fillet in his fringed hair, bending down to put a greave on his right leg, before him stands a bearded warrior wearing a chlamys with a fringed border, the Corinthian helmet with a long flowing horse-tail crest, holding a spear and large circular shield, its straps visible, behind the youth stand two further warriors looking on at the scene, one apparently naked, the other wearing a himation with striped fringe, both wearing crested Attic helmets and holding spears and shields, one decorated with foliate blazon, the other with a horse, a Greek inscription above the youth translates, 'The boy is beautiful'; side (b) with another 'arming' scene, the central youth wearing a short chiton below the waist with striped fringe, a thick knotted fillet in his fringed hair, bending down and holding a Chalcidian crested helmet in his right hand and in his left hand a shield resting on the ground-line, with hound blazon, behind him stands a naked warrior wearing an Attic helmet, his body twisting back towards his right holding a spear and a shield with foliate blazon, in front of him stands a naked youth looking down towards his left and holding his sword and scabbard, the baldric over his shoulder, his hair dressed with a fillet, next to him stands a warrior wearing an Attic helmet shown partially clad in a himation with a striped fringe, holding a spear and a shield with lion blazon, an inscription translates, 'The boy is beautiful', 3¼in. (8.3cm.) high, 121/8in. (31cm.) maximum diam. including handles, 9½in. (24cm.) diam. of bowl, recomposed from fragments with minor restoration
Sold for
£116,650
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Provenance:
Formerly in the Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection.
Exhibited:
Wealth of the Ancient World, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 1983; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1983; Detroit Institute of Arts, 1984 and Dallas Museum of Art 1984.
Published:
Exhibition Catalogue: Wealth of the Ancient World: The Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Bunker Hunt Collections, Kimbell Art Museum, (Fort Worth 1983), pp.64-65, no.8, colour plate on p.11.
M. Ohly-Dumm, "Medeas Widderzauber", J. Paul Getty Museum Journal, 9, 1981, p.21, note 62.
Sotheby's, New York, The Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection Highly Important Vases; The William Herbert Hunt Collection, Highly Important Greek, Roman and Etruscan Bronzes, Tuesday, June 19, 1990, lot 7. Christie's, London, Important Antiquities, Wednesday, 20 October 1999, pp.93-97, lot 185.
Attributed by Robert Guy to the Ashby Painter when published in the Sotheby's auction catalogue. Attributed to Onesimos by Martha Ohly-Dumm but attributed to the Proto-Panaitian Group by Dyfri Williams and Dietrich von Bothmer.
For the kalos name, Athenodotos, cf. J.D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters, II (Oxford 1963), pp.1567-1568, and J. Boardman, Athenian Red Figure Vases: the Archaic Period, (London 1975), pp.132-133. For the Proto-Panaitian Group, cf. J.D. Beazley, Attic Red-figured Vase-painters (Oxford 1968), p.314ff.; J. Boardman, Athenian Red Figure Vases: The Archaic Period, (London 1975), p.133ff., and M Robertson, The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens, (Cambridge 1992), p.44ff. For another version of the boy with hoop and the stick used to roll it, cf. Michael Vickers, Greek Vases, (Oxford 1982), no.37, a cup by the Colmar Painter.
Category: Antiquities
Auction terms and conditions