Terracotta loutrophoros (ceremonial vase for water)
Unknown Artist
On the body, obverse, six women at a bier; reverse, five men
On the neck, obverse, three women; reverse, three men
The most frequently represented part of Attic funerary ritual is the prothesis, the laying out of the deceased surrounded by mourners. The care of the dead was primarily the task of women; they appear closest to the bier, while the men appear on the reverse of the vase.
Credit: Rogers Fund, 1921
Late 6th century B.C.
Terracotta; black-figure
47.8 x 47.8cm
21.88.77
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection