TheEuphronios Krater (orSarpedon Krater) is anancient Greekterra cotta calyx-krater, a bowl used formixing wine with water. Created around the year 515 BC, it is the only complete example of the surviving 27 vases painted by the renownedEuphronios and is considered one of the finestAncient Greek vases in existence.[1]
Illegally excavated from an Etruscan cemetery nearCerveteri, it was part of thecollection of theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 1972 to 2008, untilrepatriated to Italy under an agreement negotiated in February 2006. It is now in the collection of theArchaeological Museum of Cerveteri [it] as part of a policy of returning stolen works of art to their place of origin.[2][3]
The Euphronios Krater stands 45.7 centimetres (18.0 in) in height and has adiameter of 55.1 centimetres (21.7 in). It can hold about 45 litres (9.9 imp gal; 12 US gal). The style of the vase isred-figure pottery, in which figure outlines, details, and the background are painted with an opaque blackslip while the figures themselves are left in the color of the unpainted terracotta ceramic clay.[citation needed]
The krater is decorated with two scenes.[4] An episode from theTrojan War is shown on theobverse; this illustration depicts the death ofSarpedon, son ofZeus andLaodamia. The reverse of the krater shows a contemporary scene ofAthenian youths from the sixth century BC arming themselves before battle. In the scene of Sarpedon's death, the godHermes directs thepersonifications of Sleep (Hypnos) and Death (Thanatos) to carry the fallen away to his homeland for burial. While the subject of Sarpedon's death might normally be depicted as a stylized tableau, the figures in this scene are painted in naturalistic poses and with schematic but accurate anatomy. This style is emblematic of thePioneer Group oflate Archaic painters, of whom Euphronios is considered the most accomplished.[citation needed] The scene of the anonymous Greek youths on the reverse shares this naturalistic style, using all the Pioneer Group's characteristic techniques of anatomical accuracy, natural poses, foreshortening, and spatial illusion.
Also characteristic of the Pioneer Group is the narrative tension created both by pairing these two scenes on the same piece, and by painting them in a common style.[citation needed] The death of Sarpedon, a quasi-mythological story which would be familiar to anyone viewing the krater, is an episode involving specific historical and mythological figures. The other scene, of the anonymous youths preparing for war, is both more general and explicitly contemporary. The young men are not heroes of legend; with their finely detailed features, they are given personality and character, but they could be any of the youthful soldiers in the Greek army. Both scenes are painted with similar styles, making the historical scene appear more contemporary; likewise, the contemporary scene begins to share some of the other's mythological qualities. The two scenes invite comparison between the narratives they depict; certainly, the hero Sarpedon was no less youthful than these anonymous boys, and Death and Sleep may well come for them as they did for him.[original research?]
The vase is signed both by Euxitheos aspotter andEuphronios aspainter. While it was customary for the painter to sign the finished work, it was less common for the potter to add his own name. The presence of both signatures indicates that Euxitheos felt the vase to be one of his finest works. Besides the artists' signatures on the obverse side, it also carries the inscription "Leagros is handsome." on the reverse. This inscription has allowed art historians to date the krater to approximately 520–510 BC, because at this time Leagros was considered the handsomest man in Greece.[citation needed] All names are written inAttic letters.
Records in Italian courts of an investigation indicate that the krater waslooted from anEtruscantomb in the Greppe Sant'Angelo nearCerveteri in December 1971. The krater was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art byRobert E. Hecht, an Americanantiquities dealer living in Rome, for US$1.2 million on November 10, 1972.[5] Hecht, who was accused of trafficking inillicit antiquities, claimed to have acquired the krater from Dikran Sarrafian, aLebanese dealer, whose family had been in possession of the piece since 1920. Evidence suggests that Hecht may have purchased the krater in 1972 fromGiacomo Medici, an Italian dealer who was convicted of selling stolen art in 2005.[6] Hecht denied the charges.[7]
Thomas Hoving, director of the Met and the primary negotiator in the purchase, later said in his memoirs,Making the Mummies Dance, "An intact red-figured Greek vase of the early sixth century B.C. could only have been found in Etruscan territory in Italy, by illegal excavators".[8] To allay concerns, some six months after the krater was bought he prompted the Metropolitan Museum to send a private detective toZurich in an endeavor to reinforce the cited Sarrafian provenance.[9]
In 2006, following the trial ofGiacomo Medici and related disclosures about antiquities smuggling, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Italian government signed an agreement under which ownership of the Euphronios Krater and several other pieces of art wasreturned to Italy in exchange for long-term loans of other comparable objects owned by Italy. The krater remained on display at the Metropolitan Museum until January 2008, when it returned to Italy. It was unveiled inRome on 18 January.[7] The krater was displayed at the Villa GiuliaNational Etruscan Museum in Rome from 2008–14 until it was moved as part of a temporary display in the Cerveteri Museum celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage Site affiliation for the necropolis at Banditaccia. Following the increase of attendance at the museum, the Cultural Heritage Minister,Dario Franceschini, has announced that the krater will remain at the Archaeological Museum of Cerveteri as part of a strategy of returning works of art to their place of origin.[3]
Details from the krater's obverse have been used as a book cover illustration. ThePenguin Classics deluxe edition ofRobert Fagles' English translation of theIliad employs a close-up of Thanatos for its front cover, and a close-up of Sarpedon for its back cover.[10]
