Getty Museum

Calyx Krater

Date

25 B.C.–A.D. 25

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

A frieze of six dancing women encircles the body of this krater (mixing vessel). Two have musical instruments: double pipes and castanets. Ecstatic poses, swirling drapery, and the thrysos (ritual staff) held by one woman identify them as maenads, female followers of the wine god Dionysos. The handles of the vase terminate in satyrs’ heads. Satyrs—lustful, drunken woodland gods represented in Roman art as men with goat's ears, a tail, legs, and horns—were also companions of the deity. Positioned above one of the handles is a votive relief of the Charites (the three Graces); above the other is a truncated fig tree. The splaying foot of the vase is a modern reconstruction based on ancient models. Sculpted marble vessels such as this served as garden decoration in Roman houses, typically set by a pool or fountain.

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