A monumental Lucian red-figure oinochoe

Description:

Circle or successor of the Painter of Naples 1959, ca. 320 BC.
H. 50,5 cm
This exceptionally large oinochoe, of imposing presence and masterful painting, is one of the most impressive and largest surviving examples of Lucanian vase painting. The belly is completely decorated with a Dionysian procession unfolding in a rocky landscape. A flute player in a long robe can be seen, followed by a Silen riding a pig and carrying a torch. Other figures include a Silen holding a goat by the horns, a seated young satyr, a Mänade with a panther skin and Thyrsos, as well as another Silen with a torch and Kalathos. A young Dionysus appears, riding a panther, accompanied by a Mänade with tympanum and Thyrsos. Silene is seated at the edge, one of them playing the double flute. The shoulder area is decorated with finely worked palmettes, tendrils and rows of dots; the handle shows a decorative motif of palmettes, spirals and leaves.
Important private collection Rhineland, acquired at Sotheby's London12.12.1983, lot 413
The vase is part of a rare group of monumental oinochos. Comparable pieces can only be found in Apulia, including in Foggia, Berlin, Fiesole and Naples. A. D. Trendall describes the form as "unusual for Lucanian works" and refers to the possible influence of Apulian models. The work is also associated with the Acrobat Painter, a successor to the Painter of Naples 1959. This oinochoe is discussed in an unpublished article by Konrad Schauenburg, who compares this piece with the Acrobat Painter, a successor to the Naples Painter, a copy of this article is available
Literature: A. D. Trendall, The Red-figured Vases of Lucania, Campania and Sicily, Supplement III, p. 80, no. 877b.