Terracotta volute-krater (vase for mixing wine and water)

Capodimonte Painter

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the body, obverse, assembly of gods above Amazonomachy Reverse, youth in naiskos (shrine) between youths and women On the neck, obverse, woman with torches leading Nike in chariot On the handles, heads of Io and young Pans The Capodimonte Painter was a follower of the Baltimore Painter, one of the most prolific late Apulian artists. Although they produced vases of diverse shapes and sizes, these artists are associated most often with large works virtually the whole surface of which is decorated. The vase becomes a kind of compendium of iconography and patternwork. It is important to recall that antiquarians of the eighteenth century first encountered Greek vasepainting in examples such as this one, discovered in 1785 and acquired by the king of Naples for his palace at Capodimonte. Although imperfectly understood, the vases were recognized as ancient and impressive; they quickly became objects of study and acquisition.

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