Oct 22, 2021
A woman holding a mirror. Obverse of an Attic red-figure terracotta alabastron (perfume vase), attr. to the Persephone Painter; ca. 440 BCE. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Hungary
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
A woman holding a mirror. Obverse of an Attic red-figure terracotta alabastron (perfume vase), attr. to the Persephone Painter; ca. 440 BCE. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
MWW Artwork of the Day (10/23/19) Attributed to the Persephone Painter (Greek, fl. mid 5th c. BCE) Alabastron (perfume vase)(c. 440 BCE) Terracotta red-figure vase, 17.3 x 5.1 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Rogers Fund)
An alabastron is a small type of pottery or glass vessel used in the ancient world for holding oil, especially perfume or massage oils. They originated around the 11th century BCE in ancient Egypt as containers carved from alabaster -– hence the name –- but spread via ancient Greece to other parts of the classical world.
On the obverse (left image) of this vase here is a woman with Mirror; on its reverse (right image), a woman with plemochoe (perfume vase). The column indicates that the scene is set indoors, and the kalathos (wool basket) on the ground suggests the ladies' occupation. The representation of each figure is noteworthy. The one with the mirror wears a peplos and her hair is bound with fillets. She appears younger. The other is dressed in a chiton and himation with her hair in a sakkos (snood). The Persephone Painter, whose masterpiece is displayed in the Jaharis Gallery on the main floor, characterizes figures with utmost economy. (adapted from the multiple sources)