Show me:
and
Clear all filters

  • 33 items
  • 25 items Explore
  • 89 items
  • 3,541 items Explore
  • 97 items Explore
  • 9 items
  • 4 items
  • 220 items
  • 13,514 items Explore
  • 211 items Explore
  • 1,225 items Explore
  • 8,754 items Explore
  • 5,061 items Explore
  • 62 items Explore
  • 165 items Explore
  • 13,005 items Explore
  • 13,621 items Explore
  • 4,802 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 5 items
  • 149 items Explore
  • 2,008 items Explore
  • 4,756 items Explore
  • 438 items Explore
  • 266 items
  • 103 items Explore
  • 19,977 items Explore
  • 34 items Explore
  • 1,911 items Explore
  • 1,083 items Explore
  • 5 items
  • 2,156 items Explore
  • 2 items
  • 455 items Explore
  • 920 items Explore
  • 1 items Explore
  • 5 items
  • 7 items
  • 20,357 items Explore
  • 800 items Explore
  • 19 items
  • 73 items Explore
  • 33 items
  • 793 items
  • 20 items
  • 4 items
  • 26 items
  • 61 items
  • 28 items
  • 319 items Explore
  • 6 items
  • 44 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 2 items
  • 2 items
  • 9 items
  • 121 items Explore
  • 119 items
  • 1 items
  • 926 items Explore
  • 724 items
  • 95 items
  • 27 items
  • 107 items
  • 37,713 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 3,881 items Explore
  • 1,533 items Explore
  • 403 items
  • 125 items Explore
  • 10,728 items Explore
  • 9,684 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 1 items
  • 38 items
  • 3 items
  • 4 items
  • 6,779 items Explore
  • 2 items
  • 7,364 items Explore
  • 4,741 items Explore
  • 1,911 items Explore
  • 1,195 items Explore
  • 23,791 items Explore
  • 3,662 items Explore
  • 17 items
  • 5 items
  • 334 items
  • 1 items
  • 1 items
  • 3,323 items Explore
  • 23 items Explore
  • 374 items Explore
  • 796 items Explore
  • 1,095 items Explore
  • 514 items Explore
  • 1,146 items Explore
  • 89 items
  • 125 items Explore
  • 6,954 items Explore
  • 76 items
  • 108 items
  • 4 items
  • 2 items
  • 63 items
  • 2 items
  • 2,935 items Explore
  • 1,529 items Explore
  • 203 items
  • 90 items
  • 22,242 items Explore
  • 1,338 items Explore
  • 138 items
  • 848 items Explore
  • 32 items
  • 1 items
  • 122 items Explore
  • 40 items
  • 20 items
  • 252 items
  • 313 items
  • 687 items Explore
  • 343 items Explore
  • 2,429 items
  • 2,545 items
  • 3 items
  • 1 items
  • 1 items
  • 4,393 items Explore
  • 40,354 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 3,293 items Explore
  • 275 items Explore
  • 8,799 items Explore
  • 31 items
  • 25 items
  • 304 items Explore
  • 776 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 65 items
  • 161 items
  • 50 items
  • 52 items
  • 23,684 items Explore
  • 916 items
  • 66 items
  • 22,646 items Explore
  • 2 items
  • 2,336 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 1,028 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 759 items
  • 499 items
  • 4 items
  • 3,309 items Explore
  • 179 items
  • 59 items
  • 455 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 21 items
  • 90 items Explore
  • 76 items
  • 281 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 6 items
  • 128 items
  • 295 items
  • 447 items
  • 290 items
  • 1 items
  • 906 items Explore
  • 272 items Explore
  • 455 items
  • 11,295 items Explore
  • 755 items Explore
  • 6,028 items Explore
  • 8,295 items Explore
  • 27 items
  • 1 items
  • 5,976 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 3,725 items Explore
  • 9,182 items Explore
  • 7,886 items Explore
  • 182 items
  • 19 items
  • 144 items
  • 7 items
  • 853 items Explore
  • 19 items
  • 8 items
  • 1,096 items Explore
  • 270 items
  • 1 items
  • 2,086 items
  • 3,543 items Explore
  • 695 items Explore
  • 18 items
  • 134 items
  • 6,743 items Explore
  • 95 items
  • 18,939 items Explore
  • 3,136 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 7 items
  • 10,979 items Explore
  • 37 items
  • 2 items
  • 21,446 items Explore
  • 35 items
  • 13,291 items Explore
  • 3,462 items Explore
  • 5,641 items Explore
  • 33 items
  • 51,236 items Explore
  • 41 items
  • 646 items Explore
  • 417 items
  • 26,946 items Explore
  • 216 items
  • 3 items
  • 6 items
  • 1 items
  • 35 items
  • 27 items
  • 445 items Explore
  • 636 items
  • 217 items Explore
  • 13 items
  • 13,766 items Explore
  • 1,360 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 10,260 items
  • 9 items
  • 10 items
  • 14 items
  • 25 items
  • 1 items
  • 4,536 items Explore
  • 913 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 1 items
  • 318 items
  • 511 items Explore
  • 42 items
  • 2,291 items Explore
  • 1,664 items Explore
  • 15 items
  • 1,876 items Explore
  • 150 items
  • 81 items
  • 766 items Explore
  • 3,138 items Explore
  • 44 items
  • 17 items
  • 12 items
  • 10,668 items Explore
  • 23,687 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 3 items
  • 1 items
  • 41 items
  • 1,374 items
  • 177 items Explore
  • 8 items
  • 92 items
  • 1 items
  • 13,586 items Explore
  • 3,583 items Explore
  • 2,903 items Explore
  • 4,521 items Explore
  • 22 items
  • 30 items
  • 6,910 items Explore
  • 4,841 items Explore
  • 2,300 items Explore
  • 2,978 items Explore
  • 2 items
  • 1,898 items Explore
  • 191 items
  • 223 items Explore
  • 466 items Explore
  • 6,118 items Explore
  • 8,729 items Explore
  • 1,860 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 1 items
  • 5,943 items Explore
  • 3,354 items Explore
  • 11,130 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 84 items
  • 11 items
  • 2,518 items Explore
  • 7 items
  • 24 items
  • 51 items
  • 6 items
  • 1 items
  • 4,290 items Explore
  • 611 items Explore
  • 72 items
  • 17 items
  • 155 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 95 items Explore
  • 458 items
  • 996 items Explore
  • 3,556 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 5 items
  • 2 items
  • 9,548 items Explore
  • 48 items Explore
  • 3 items
  • 7 items
  • 42 items
  • 3 items
  • 13,807 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 1,162 items Explore
  • 92 items
  • 10,566 items Explore
  • 1,920 items
  • 18 items
  • 6,748 items Explore
  • 21 items
  • 12,949 items Explore
  • 1,418 items Explore
  • 8 items
  • 6,175 items Explore
  • 14,883 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 1,667 items Explore
  • 181 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 16 items
  • 5,686 items Explore
  • 12,284 items Explore
  • 48 items
  • 25 items
  • 2 items
  • 3 items
  • 7,192 items Explore
  • 357 items Explore
  • 13 items
  • 6 items
  • 103 items Explore
  • 7 items
  • 5 items
  • 485 items
  • 688 items Explore
  • 8,368 items Explore
  • 58 items
  • 7,347 items Explore
  • 5 items
  • 26 items
  • 4,614 items Explore
  • 428 items
  • 339 items Explore
  • 12,715 items Explore
  • 55 items
  • 20 items
  • 7 items
  • 4 items
  • 325 items Explore
  • 427 items
  • 458 items
  • 1 items
  • 3,694 items Explore
  • 27 items
  • 1,238 items Explore
  • 2,503 items Explore
  • 791 items Explore
  • 36 items
  • 1,139 items Explore
  • 97 items Explore
  • 24 items
  • 229 items Explore
  • 80,207 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 3,136 items Explore
  • 2,871 items Explore
  • 25 items
  • 5,351 items Explore
  • 1,831 items Explore
  • 4 items
  • 17,515 items Explore
  • 4,930 items Explore
  • 1 items
  • 7 items
  • 622 items Explore
  • 85 items
  • 31 items
  • 1 items
  • 76 items
  • 29 items
  • 86 items
  • 3 items
  • 1,176 items Explore
  • 109 items
  • 805 items
  • 12,604 items Explore
  • 27 items
  • 13 items
  • 1,710 items Explore
  • 214 items
  • 17,037 items Explore
  • 85 items
  • 17 items
  • 1 items
  • 8 items
  • 324 items
  • 2 items
  • 626 items Explore
  • 1,596 items Explore
  • 8 items
  • 1,130 items Explore
  • 383 items
  • 1 items
  • 2 items
  • 353 items

Select a time period

Or choose a specific year

Clear all filters

Hydria

manner of Antimenes Painter (fl. c.530 - c.510 BCE)

Category

Ceramics

Date

540 BC - 510 BC

Materials

Black-figure technique, incised and painted in slip

Measurements

42.5 cm (Height)

Place of origin

Athens

Order this image

Collection

Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

NT 532413

Caption

Decorated black-figure vases were a common feature in the homes of wealthy ancient Greeks. They survive in quite large numbers, but this example includes a particularly skilfully painted scene depicting a chariot with four horses, the goddess Athena and one of the labours of Heracles, a major Greek mythical hero. Many similar vases were exported to Italy, where they were considered high-status objects and buried as part of tomb treasure, probably as offerings to the gods or for use in the afterlife. This one may have been excavated from a grave in the Etruscan city of Vulci, which flourished prior to 200BC. It was probably acquired by the owner of Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, George Hammond Lucy (1789–1845), who was a keen collector of ancient art. It was displayed in his library to show the artistry and sophistication of the Greek civilisation.

Summary

An Athenian terracotta hydria (three-handled pitcher), c.540–510 BC. Black-figure technique, incised and painted in slip. Probably acquired by George Hammond Lucy. Having been given by Lord Brooke of Warwick a catalogue of Greek Vases and other artefacts to be sold in London, Lucy purchased some of the vases which are now in the Library. On 12 July 1838 he paid to Messrs. Brown, Scagliola Works, University Street, London, the sum of £125 for four vases. Some of the other vases were bought in Italy in 1842.

Full description

The golden age of collecting ancient Athenian vases began in 1828 with the discovery of over 3,000 examples in the ruins of Vulci, an Etruscan city in Viterbo, Italy. The land belonged to Napoleon’s brother Lucien Bonaparte, prince de Canino and Musignano, and his wife, Alexandrine de Bleschamp. Bonaparte’s excavations began in earnest in a serious archaeological spirit, but the tombs were soon ruthlessly stripped of their treasures, promoted and sold in international exhibitions and auctions. Additional finds were exhibited in 1837 in London by the Tuscan excavator and entrepreneur Vincenzo Campanari. By the mid-nineteenth century, Attic vases were part of the fabric of historic English collections, displayed in dedicated rooms, libraries or long galleries as objects for intellectual enquiry, yet few survive in their original locations. Among fourteen vases at Charlecote Park are five very similar black-figure ‘hydriai’ made around 540–510 BC and possibly excavated at Vulci. These vessels were made of bronze or pottery and were for carrying water. The black-figure technique was invented in Corinth around 700 BC. It involved painting a slip (liquid clay) over vessels of iron-rich clay and a three-stage firing process that turned the slip into a glossy black and the clay orange-red. This example includes a skilfully painted scene depicting a chariot with four horses, the goddess Athena and one of the labours of Heracles, who is seen wrestling the Nemean Lion. The vase was probably acquired by George Hammond Lucy (1789–1845). Lucy and his family travelled to Italy in 1842, where they visited Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Pompeii. Details of their Italian tour were published in 1862 by George’s wife Mary Elizabeth (1803–90), who listed the following purchases in Naples: ‘large Etruscan vase, (modern), with a representation in colours on a white ground of the battle between Darius and Alexander, which now stands on the bookcase in the library, also four ancient Etruscan Greek vases, which stand on the bookcase’. The vases are still displayed in Charlecote’s library. Some may have been acquired by Lucy’s younger brother, the Revd John Lucy (1790–1874), who also visited Naples in 1840–2, or his great uncle George Lucy (1714–86), a Grand Tourist who was in Rome and Naples in 1756–8.Text adapted from Patricia F. Ferguson, Ceramics: 400 Years of British Collecting in 100 Masterpieces, Philip Wilson Publishers, 2016.

Provenance

Presented to the National Trust by Sir Montgomerie Fairfax-Lucy (1896 – 1965), two years after the death of his father, Sir Henry Ramsay-Fairfax, 3rd Bt (1870 – 1944), with Charlecote Park and its chief contents, in 1946.

Makers and roles

manner of Antimenes Painter (fl. c.530 - c.510 BCE), painter

References

Ferguson 2016: Patricia F. Ferguson, Ceramics: 400 Years of British Collecting in 100 Masterpieces, Philip Wilson Publishers, 2016, pp. 184-5

View more details