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Archaeology Museum of Catalonia - Girona

Krater

Bell krater, red-figure Attic ceramic, Sant Sebastià de la Guarda (Palafrugell, Baix Empordà), Iberian period, mid-4th century BC. Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, Girona.

Bell krater, red-figure Attic ceramic, Sant Sebastià de la Guarda (Palafrugell, Baix Empordà), Iberian period, mid-4th century BC. Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, Girona.

Kraters were used to mix wine with water at funeral banquets. In the Iberian world, Attic pottery was a symbol of wealth and social prestige. Bell kraters were the most prestigious, and probably most expensive, pieces. This example features a garland of olive leaves around the edge. The scene depicts a female figure, probably a maenad, dancing with athýrsos (rod or stick wrapped in vine or ivy leaves) in her right hand. There is a gryphon on the left-hand side, a fantastic creature that is half bird, half lion and related with death and resurrection.

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