On view
Lekythos (oil vessel) depicting Eros riding a dolphin and playing auloi (pipes),
ca. 480 BCE
Decorating the sides of this lekythos is the nude and winged figure of Eros, the god of love. He rides a dolphin across the stark black background of the vessel while playing the aulos, a double reed instrument popular in ancient Athens that sounds something akin to the modern oboe. Such scenes of either Erotes (winged child figures associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love) or human musicians and choral dancers astride dolphins were common in fifth-century Athens, and likely were connected to the contemporary rise of the dithyrambic choral performances (hymns sung and danced in honor of Dionysos) that were held in the theater to celebrate Athenian democracy.
Information
ca. 480 BCE
Europe, Greece, Athens
Red-figure Lekythos: Eros Riding a Dolphin and Playing the Double Flutes (Auloi)
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