3-047-519 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Attic Red-Figure Psykter, about 510 BC. Wine Cooler with Athletes. Additional Info: The psykter is a vessel used for cooling wine at a symposium. Placed in a large bowl of ice-cold water, the bulbous upper section - decorated here with youths in the gymnasium - would be visible to drinkers. Many of the figures on this vase are identified with inscriptions. Many of the inscribed names recur on other contemporary Athenian vases, notably Leagros, who is often described as 'kalos' ('beautiful'). Yet Euphronios, named here, is the name of a vase-painter, and it is surprising to see a craftsman attempting to seduce one of the most sought-after noble youths in Athens. Scholars have suggested that this scene is a fantasy - perhaps humorous - on the part of the psykter's painter.