Cleveland Museum of Art

Red-Figure Janiform Kantharos (Two-Sided Head-Shaped Drinking Cup): Satyr and African

Class K

Date

c. 470–460 BCE

Medium

ceramic

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Combining two mold-made faces beneath a pair of vertical handles and a flaring, wheel-made lip, this unusual drinking cup is a variation of the kantharos, a vessel favored by the wine god Dionysos. A snub nose and equine ears identify the satyr, a relatively common type on such vessels. The glossy black face and red hair on the other side are more unusual, apparently meant to show an older African man, with white beard and eyebrows, and wrinkles around the eyes. This janiform kantharos is unique in juxtaposing heads of a satyr and an African man.

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