Etruscan black-figure hydria (water-jar) Micali Painter

The painter of this vase was the most outstanding Etruscan pupil of the art of Greek black-figure vases, which at this time were finding their way to Etruria in ever-increasing numbers. The artist headed a large workshop in Vulci in the last quarter of the 6th century B.C. The Gorgon’s head between two winged panthers on the shoulder of the hydria (water jar) indicates that the painter also drew from the world of his Greek models. On the body, figures with typically Etruscan head types can be seen performing the movements of a dance which are still alive in Tuscany, and in the centre there is a pair of boxers. It is possible that the scene is a depiction of funerary games and that the vase was not produced for everyday use but specifically to be placed in a grave.

János György Szilágyi