A.D. Trendall, Greek Vases in University House (Canberra 1960) 4 fig. 3a-b; J.D. Beazley, Paralipomena: Additions to Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters and to Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters (Oxford 1971) 100, 3; J.R. Green with B. Rawson, Catalogue of Antiquities in the Australian National University, A.N.U. (Canberra, 1981) 32; H.A.G. Brijder, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Amsterdam (2) text p. 86. T.H. Carpenter, with T. Mannack and M. Mendonca, Beazley Addenda, 2nd edition (Oxford 1989): 56; Beazley Archive Pottery Database 340245.

1976.09

Attic Black-Figure Stemless Cup (type C)

Lent by University House to which it was presented by Professor P.A. Moran. Ht 6.6cm; diam. 17.5cm.

Intact but for a fragment of the lip by one handle. Lustrous black glaze, slightly misfired on the inside.

Inside: In the centre, a gorgoneion. Red is added on alternate locks of the hair and on the tongue; white was added for the teeth. Notice that the flesh of the gorgon-head is reserved in the natural colour of the clay. There are three warts on the forehead. Towards the edge, immediately within the lip, a reserved band.

A and B: In the handle zones, a youth on horseback between two running youths, the scene set between eyes. Red is added on the hair of each figure and for the horses’ manes; white is applied for the chitons of the riders. The eyes are white with red pupils and black irises.

There is a reserved band on the lower wall and a red band on the fillet between body and foot. (It is not marked by incision.) The vertical face of the foot and the resting surface are reserved as is the underside of the floor, but the inner face of the foot is black.

The vase belongs in shape and decorative scheme to the Class of the Top-Band Stemless Cups which J.D. Beazley (Paralipomena: Additions to Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters and to Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters [Oxford 1971] 100) characterized as “a shallow stemless cup without lip, with broad fillet at the base, and torus foot-profile. There is a broad black band above the handle-zone, whence the name. Below the handle-zone, black with a reserved band. There is often a slight incurve towards the base, and occasionally the incurve is so strong that we have what Bloesch calls ‘Cup C of progressive trend’”. He compares especially New York 20.250, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (2) pl. 31. See also Bloesch, Formen attischer Schalen pl. 32, l and 3, and Brijder’s text on Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Amsterdam (2) pl. 132, 8, pl. 133,1-3, and pl. 133, 4-6. The latter characterises them as typically having a height of 6.5 – 7cm and a diameter of 16 – 17cm. Many of them have a gorgoneion on the inside, and they often have eyes in the handle-band, as here. They are normally dated to the last decade of the sixth century but perhaps begin somewhat earlier than that.

For gorgoneia of the kind found on the inside of the vase, see among others G. Riccioni,  “Origine e sviluppo del Gorgoneion”, Rivista del Istituto Nazionale d’Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte 9, 1960, 127-160 (= Scritti Riccioni [Bologna 2000] 105-154), B. Freyer-Schauenburg, “Ein Gorgoneion-Skyphos aus Tarent”, Archäologischer Anzeiger 1971, 538-554, J. Floren, Studien zur Typologie des Gorgoneion (Münster 1977), C. Scheffer, “Some Further Remarks on the Gorgoneion Skyphoi”, Opuscula Atheniensia 16, 1986, 117-122, and M. Halm-Tisserant, “Sur l’évolution du gorgoneion à Corinthe et à Athènes”, in: J. Christiansen and T. Melander (eds.), Ancient Greek and Related Pottery. Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium, Copenhagen (Copenhagen 1988) 211-221.

H.A.G. Brijder, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Amsterdam (2) has attributed our vase to his so-called Runners Painter who decorated many cups with scenes like these. He regards the running youths as being paced by the rider on a horse, comparing Philostratus, Peri gymnastikes 43. The motif is a not-uncommon one on cups of this period: cf. for example Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Hermitage (8) pll. 24-25, pll. 26-27 (with further refs).

A.D. Trendall, Greek Vases in University House (Canberra 1960) 4 fig. 3a-b; J.D. Beazley, Paralipomena: Additions to Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters and to Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters (Oxford 1971) 100, 3; J.R. Green with B. Rawson, Catalogue of Antiquities in the Australian National University, A.N.U. (Canberra, 1981) 32; H.A.G. Brijder, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Amsterdam (2) text p. 86. T.H. Carpenter, with T. Mannack and M. Mendonca, Beazley Addenda, 2nd edition (Oxford 1989): 56; Beazley Archive Pottery Database 340245.

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