Black-figure Eye-Cup (Primary Title)
Nikosthenes, Greek, active 550 - 510 BC (Potter)
The
center (tondo) of this cup holds a mesmerizing image of the snake-haired gorgon
Medusa, the mere sight of whom turned mortals to stone. In ancient Greece, the
Gorgoneion was used on buildings, shields, and other objects to ward off evil; the
eyes on the exterior of this cup may have had a similar function. Nikosthenes
signed more than one hundred vases, always identifying himself as the potter.
Signed and dated above "eyes": "NIKOSOENES EPOIESEN" (Nikosthenes made [me])
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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