On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Amazon,
ca. 300–280 BCE
South Italian, Canosan
1995-110
Portrayals of Amazons, the legendarily fierce female warriors, are found throughout Greek art and myth. The swirling fuchsia skirts of the two brilliantly painted Amazon figurines, one of whom wields a now-missing axe against her opponent, emphasize the forward momentum of their attack. The warrior painted on the alabastron, a jar for perfumed oil, carries a shield while she brandishes an axe over a Greek soldier’s helmet. Because the Amazons were believed to have originally come from the east, they were frequently depicted in the traditional clothing of non-Greek peoples, such as the Scythians of central Asia or the Thracians of southeastern Europe. On the alabastron, the painter has borrowed from a variety of cultures to signal that the Amazon was not Greek. Her pants are patterned similarly to those worn by Scythians, and her shield is styled after Thracian examples.
More Context
Special Exhibition
<p>In blue leather boots with fuchsia skirts swirling behind them, this pair of attacking Amazons strides forward, one raising her arm to hold a missing war ax. Deep eyes, muscular legs, broad shoulders, and thick arms resonate with Greek depictions of Amazons, but the belted skirts and vivid colors are particularly characteristic of terracottas from Canosa in southern Italy.</p>
Information
Title
Amazon
Dates
ca. 300–280 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
23.4 x 8 x 13.3 cm (9 3/16 x 3 1/8 x 5 1/4 in.)
base: 7.7 x 14.6 cm (3 1/16 x 5 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr., Memorial Collection Fund
Object Number
1995-110
Place Made
Southern Italy
Culture
Period
Type
Materials
Subject
Purchased from Brian Aitken (Acanthus), New York, in 1995.
