Detail View: The AMICA Library: Mycenaean chariot krater

AMICA ID: 
MMA_.74.51.966
AMICA Library Year: 
2002
Object Type: 
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Description: 
Mycenaean pictorial vases were a major commodity made on the Greek mainland and traded eastward, probably for their contents and the wares themselves . Large numbers of Mycenaean vases began to inundate the Cypriot market during the fourteenth century B.C., perhaps as a result of extensive trade relations between the Argolid, a region in the Peloponnesos, and the eastern Mediterranean. The Argolid was the center of all great myths that found expression in epic poetry. In antiquity, it was the key point of communication between the eastern Mediterranean, the Greek peninsula, and northern Europe, as well as the location of two major Mycenaean palaces, one at Tiryns and the other at Mycenae. The krater was a popular form in the repertoire of Mycenaean vases, found almost exclusively in tombs on Cyprus and often decorated, like this one, with chariot scenes. The chariot was an important motif in art from the Greek mainland, particularly in the Argolid; its frequency on Mycenaean pictorial vases has characterized an entire subgroup. The vases were probably connected with funerary practices and, in some regions, may have served as vessels that held the remains of the deceased. The occupants of the chariots may represent the deceased, and ancillary figures may be deities or participants in funerary observances.
Creator Nationality: 
European; Southern European; Mycenaean
Creator Name-CRT: 
Mycenaean
Title: 
Mycenaean chariot krater
View: 
Principal view
Creation Date: 
first half of 13th century B.C.
Creation Start Date: 
-1299
Creation End Date: 
-1250
Materials and Techniques: 
Terracotta
Style or Period: 
Late Helladic IIIB:1
Creation Place: 
Found on Cyprus
Dimensions: 
H. 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm)
AMICA Contributor: 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: 
New York, New York
ID Number: 
74.51.966
Credit Line: 
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874-76
Copyright: 
Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art . All rights reserved.
Rights: 
Related Image Identifier Link: 
MMA_.h1_74.51.966.tif