Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

Hermonax

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maenad; on shoulder, satyr eating grapes Hermonax was a follower of the Berlin Painter. His vitality is abundantly evident on this vase—not only in the drawing but also in the interpretation of the figures. The maenad purposefully brandishes her thyrsos (fennel stalk) and snake. At the same time, she is serene and beautifully dressed in a pleated chiton and a nebris (fawn's skin). Crouching unconcerned between two palmettes, a satyr enjoys grapes in their unfermented state.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art