Cleveland Museum of Art

Red-Figure Kylix (Drinking Cup): Dionysos and Satyr (I); Satyrs and Maenads (A, B)

Douris

Date

c. 480 BCE

Medium

ceramic

Culture

Greece, Athens

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Reconstructed from 72 fragments, this cup has been repaired several times, indicating its enduring value to owners. Pairs of holes straddling cracks once held ancient wire or clamp repairs. Numerous incomplete holes may signify recent interventions. Early modern efforts to hide cracks and certain features of the satyrs that could have offended sensibilities of the time also masked the original artistry of its painting. So, for many years the cup languished in storage. Cleaning and reconstruction in 1952–53 revealed enough to allow attribution to a respected vase painter, Douris, reviving the cup’s reputation. More recently, a different attribution has been suggested, and a new conservation campaign replaced ancient parts from a different cup with modern reconstructions more like those lost. In the tondo, a dancing satyr approaches the wine god Dionysos, who holds a kantharos and grapevine.

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