Ajax and Achilles Playing Dice
Scot Lamothe
4/24/2013
Fine arts 204.01
Achilles and Ajax playing Dice On April 17th, we went to the museum of fine arts in Richmond Virginia. There I saw an ancient pot on display. The pot was a black figure amphora that is round and had an approximately height of 16 inches. The amphora is made of terracotta clay, and is thought to have been made around 510 BC. The pot is circular with a neck at the top which allows for pouring. The base of the neck is the widest point of the amphora which begins to narrow down as you approach the base. The pot does have a base which allows the amphora to stand up right.. At the narrowest point are two handles that are molded into the neck and also attached to mid-section of the pot. Top of the amphora has a lip on that goes around the top of the pot. The amphora is highly decorated with two scenes of Greek life, as well as different decorations. Starting from the top, the upper lip of the amphora is painted solid all the way around the top and completely encompasses the upper lip of the amphora. Directly under that are decorations that seem to resemble leaves on a branch. These things are divided into several groups that have 7-9 leaves in it per group. Next we see the handles which are also paint solid black, however there under side is plain terracotta. At the point where the neck and the body meet is a circle the goes around the base of the neck that has red and black vertical lines about half an inch long. Some of these lines are interrupted by the portraits that are painted on the side. After that we get to the main portion of the amphora and the portraits. On one side is a picture of two soldiers play a game in front of Athena and the other side has an old man with to soldiers as the soldiers as they depart. I will elaborate on these later. In between the two pictures is so line work that fills the space and separates the two pictures. Under the pictures appears three tribal designs that go all around the base of
4/24/2013
Fine arts 204.01
Achilles and Ajax playing Dice On April 17th, we went to the museum of fine arts in Richmond Virginia. There I saw an ancient pot on display. The pot was a black figure amphora that is round and had an approximately height of 16 inches. The amphora is made of terracotta clay, and is thought to have been made around 510 BC. The pot is circular with a neck at the top which allows for pouring. The base of the neck is the widest point of the amphora which begins to narrow down as you approach the base. The pot does have a base which allows the amphora to stand up right.. At the narrowest point are two handles that are molded into the neck and also attached to mid-section of the pot. Top of the amphora has a lip on that goes around the top of the pot. The amphora is highly decorated with two scenes of Greek life, as well as different decorations. Starting from the top, the upper lip of the amphora is painted solid all the way around the top and completely encompasses the upper lip of the amphora. Directly under that are decorations that seem to resemble leaves on a branch. These things are divided into several groups that have 7-9 leaves in it per group. Next we see the handles which are also paint solid black, however there under side is plain terracotta. At the point where the neck and the body meet is a circle the goes around the base of the neck that has red and black vertical lines about half an inch long. Some of these lines are interrupted by the portraits that are painted on the side. After that we get to the main portion of the amphora and the portraits. On one side is a picture of two soldiers play a game in front of Athena and the other side has an old man with to soldiers as the soldiers as they depart. I will elaborate on these later. In between the two pictures is so line work that fills the space and separates the two pictures. Under the pictures appears three tribal designs that go all around the base of