1. Euthymides Belly Amphora
‘hos oudepote Euphronios ‘

2. overview 510 – 500 BC Painter: Euthymides Potter: Unknown Red Figure
Belly Amphora
Height – 60 cm
Pioneer group
Inscription telling us it’s his!

3. Side A
SIDE B

4. The shape This vase is an belly amphora
It was supposedly invented by the potter Exekias or maybe the Myceneans (debated)
In proto-geometric period
Liquids: oil, wine, and honey
Large neck, belly almost as wide as it is tall, continious line from mouth to foot & flat handles

5. Side A This side is often referred to as the three revelers.
Shows three men returning from a symposium after a night of drinking
Komachos, Euedemos & Teles
Mood of frienze: Happy

6. Characters & Drinking
Komachos is holding a Kanthraros or a drinking cup which shows that he has been drinking
There are vine leaves around all of the mens heads – which represent alcohol (only really wine at that time)
With the use of poses – Euthymides has captured the characters in a drunken dance

7. Eroticism – penis’ are visible and the eyes of Teles and Euedemos are on the others mens junk.
Also the scene depicts Teles reaching for Euedemos’ junk (with his hand), Euedemos reaching down for Komachos’ while Komachos seems to be trying to protect himself from the wandering hands of Teles and Euedemos.

8. Painting technique
Red figure: was able to give more of an illusion of volume and depth compared to the flat black silhouette
Detail: painted not incised. Continuous fluid lines, better able to give impression of volume

9. Purple slip
Dark & Dilute glaze are used to highlight major & minor muscles

10. Composition Boarders: all around
Handles: flanged handles are decorated with ivy leaves
Top: enclosed red figure palmettes
Walking stick: there is a slight interruption to the boarder
Sides: black figure linked to pomegranates
Shoulders: shoulder contours of figures follow shoulder contours of vase
Bottom: stylized black figure buds
Black band: there are large bands above and below the scene, as an additional frame
Depth: there is no overlapping of the figures to suggest depth
Ground line: simple ground line suggest no depth
Ray bands

11. Painting style
Mood: clearly drunken revelry. Shown by high stepping. The drapery flows away from bodies to accentuate movement
Komachos: stands in profile. His torso is at a ¾ angle
Euedemos: Unusual pose. Legs are profile, ¾ buttocks, full back view, face in profile. Not a stationary positiion
Lack of Background: just glossy glaze
Drapery: purely decorative. Hangs in the same zigzag folds
Anatomy: interest apparent in this scene. Studied live models and real world. New trend, poses are realistic
Teles: Top is in profile while bottom is frontal
Poses: complex
Naturalism: continuing interest in naturalism. Realistically moulded muscles.
Foreshortening: the feet and back of Euedemos
Lack of Depth: No overlapping. It’s no exploited in order to give depth to the scene

12. Side B Story of King Priam, Prince Hector, and Queen Hecuba
Scene taken from Trojan war
Depicts the arming of Hector before his fight with Achilles, it is the final goodbye of parents and child, as Hector will die in this fight : (

13. Myth
Hector, son of King Priam of Troy, was the greatest of the Trojan warriors. He led the Trojans in the Trojan War, since Priam was too old to fight.
Hector killed Patroclus, and Achilles met Hector in a crucial scene in “The Iliad”. Achilles killed Hector before dragging his body from the back of his chariot around Patroclus’ tomb, every day for 12 days. With Hector’s death, the fall of Troy was close at hand.

14. Context
Cloaks: there are stiff folds in the cloak around King Priam’s back
Loose chiton: zigzag bottom to the material
Hector strains as he puts on his armour showing the somber moment
Pose: Hector looks quite awkward – painted with frontal body but head and right leg are in profile
Mood: Somber. King Priam watches and gives his son some advice (as shown through the movement of this fingers)
Poses: Hector’s pose still looks unrealistic and awkward, but Euthymides is experimenting with foreshortening, and mixing frontal with profile figures.
Inscription: between Priam & Hector: ‘Euthymides the son of Polias painted (me)’
Foreshortening: Hectors foot

15. Palmette
This palmette decorative band runs around the top of the frieze, but is interrupted by Hector’s raised helmet. This shows Euthymides’ skill in composition.

16. characters King Priam Queen Hecuba
Aged father, bald head, stubbly beard.
Dressed in a long chiton, and himation
Priam’s cloak is stiff and unrealistic vs. Queen Hecuba’s lose, flowing folds in her chiton
She holds Hector’s spear and is offering her son his helmet
Wrapped up tightly in his cloak.
He holds a knobbed stick in his left hand
His helmet his leaning against his mother
Helmet: interesting move – the raised helmet disrupts the upper band of decoration
Right hand gesticulates to his son as if offering advice

17. Hector & Gear Hector the protector, Hero of Troy
Greatest of all Trojan warriors in Homer’s Iliad. He killed many Greeks until finally being killed by Achilles
In process of putting on his leather corselet.
Assisted by parents
Straining to put on corselet – shows somber moment
Hero Shield: head of a satyr

18. Comparative composition
Both sides of the vase show 3 figures, a composition typical for Euthymides.
This provides a balance on both friezes, but also allows him to contrast different poses on either side.

19. Realism
This is a Red-Figure vase, so details are painted on, not incised. This allows the artist to show more complex poses and a more realistic scene is possible.
Euthymides uses dilute slip to show the muscle groups. He even uses dark slip for major muscles, and lighter slip for small ones. The accuracy shown here suggests he actually observed live models. This was new!

20. Limitations No overlapping
There is no attempt at background, just black glaze.
The figures stand on a single groundline, giving no depth.
Red figure is far more capable of giving an illusion of volume and depth than the flat silhouette of black figure, yet Euthymides does not exploit this.