Stamped Pithos Fragments in the Collection of the British School

In Volume XII of the Annual of the British School were published two fragments of stamped pithoi (Nos. I. and II.) from Kameiros, part of a series of such fragments in the collection of the School. The remaining examples, mainly from Melos, are described below, the drawings having been made at the same time as those published in 1906. No. III. (Pl. XI. A ) ·105 × ·12 × ·02 — ·03 m. From Melos. Coarse reddish clay. Decoration : border of arches; border of double plait with three strands in each twist and bosses between; frieze projecting ·004 m. with lion and Centaur. The lion's mouth is open, shewing the tongue, his left forepaw is raised. The motive of the paw is a common one: cf. the lion on the Ionic B.F. bowl, Pfuhl, Malerei und Zeichnung der Griechen , iii. Pl. XXVIII. No. 128, and the kylix, Louvre, A. 478. The Centaur, likewise, is a common type. He is the vanquished Centaur begging for mercy, made popular through illustrations like those of Herakles and Nessos, and used here because he was a familiar figure which fitted the space. An excellent parallel is on a steatite lentoid intaglio from Melos. The Centaur has equine, not human fore-legs, as on other pithos fragments from Melos: contrast the type with human fore-legs from Kameiros and Asia Minor, where it seems never to have been superseded

Art · Art history · Centaur · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies