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Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora (jar)

Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora

Greek, Attic, black-figure, ca. 490 BC

Attributed to the Kleophrades Painter

Obverse, Athena

Reverse, chariot race

 

From the second quarter of the sixth century BC on, victors in the contests of the Panathenaic festival in Athens were awarded a standardized amphora containing one metretes (about forty-one quarts) of olive oil from the sacred groves in Attica. The official decoration on the front was a picture of a statue of Athena, fully armed. The scene on the back showed the event for which the prize was awarded.

 

The Kleophrades Painter is credited with the largest number of extant prize amphorae of any Athenian vase painter.

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Uploaded on August 6, 2009
Taken on July 10, 2009