To experts illuminate this artwork's story

Rather than driving to Mount Olympos in a chariot, Herakles sees himself monumentalized in stone, while Athena, her task accomplished, takes her ease between divine travelers. Surely complementary, the pictures may refer to the apotheosis of Herakles. To the left, Hermes, the messenger god, turns away from Pan, his son, while Eros plays with a bird below. The reverse, in an outdoor setting, shows Herakles’ staunch protectress, Athena, seated in conversation with one of the Dioskouroi. Above, Zeus, ruler of the gods, and Nike, personification of victory, preside as Herakles himself ambles in from the right to survey his image. To the left, a Black African youth tends the brazier on which rods are heating that will spread the tinted wax. The painter, characterized by his cap and his garment worn to leave his upper body bare, applies a mixture of pigment and wax with a spatula to Herakles’ lion-skin. In the foreground stands a statue of Herakles with his club, bow, and lion-skin. The column and phiale (libation bowl) at the far left indicate an interior space, probably a sanctuary. This vase illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives, that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic. Obverse, artist painting a statue of Herakles Reverse, Athena with deities Representations of artists at work are exceedingly rare.

Column krater download