Archaic I

Terracotta jug

A horse without any harness moves to the right. On his back stands a small figure wearing a garment around his lower body. Representations of horses, horsemen, carts, and chariots are quite common in Cypriot Archaic art, indicating that these were familiar subjects observed firsthand. Unusual as it may seem, the figure on the animal's back recalls genies, winged and wingless, who are ultimately of eastern origin and appear in various contexts in the Greek world. This individual may have counterparts in an Attic representation of the stables of Poseidon by the Amasis Painter (Judy and Michael H. Steinhardt Gallery, 1989.281.62). 12 3/8 × 9 7/8 in. (31.5 × 25.1 cm)

Classification

Object type: Pottery vessel
Shape: Jug
Decoration: Painted
Motifs: Horse, Human figure
Material: Clay
Period: Iron AgeCypro-ArchaicCypro-Archaic I
Date: 750 - 600 BC
Place of production: probablyCyprus
Findspot: Ormidhia

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Accession No.

74.51.539

Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

“Found at Ormidia” (Cesnola 1894, pl. CXXIX. 963) Before 1874, found in Ormidhia, Cyprus; until 1874, collection of Luigi Palma di Cesnola; acquired in 1874, purchased from L.P. di Cesnola.

References

Cesnola, Luigi Palma di. 1894. A Descriptive Atlas of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vol. 2. pl. CXXIX. 963, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 768, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos, Joan Mertens, and Marice E. Rose. 2000. Ancient Art from Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. no. 153, p. 95, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos. 2006. Aspects of Everyday Life in Cyprus: Iconographic Representations. no. 163, p. 174, Nicosia: Foundation Anastasios G. Leventis.Stylianou, Andreas and Patrick Schollmeyer. 2007. "Der Sarkophag aus Golgoi." Dynastensarkophage mit szenischen Reliefs aus Byblos und Zypern: Der Sarkophag aus Amathous als Beispiel kontaktinduzierten Wandels, 2. pp. 76-7, n. 557, Mainz am Rhein: Philipp von Zabern.