Apulian Red-Figure Loutrophoros

The excessive mourning of the mythological figure Niobe decorates this Apulian red-figure loutrophoros. Niobe's boasting led to the slaughter of her fourteen children by the gods Apollo and Artemis. For nine days and nights, she mourned, ignoring family members' attempts to comfort her. Ultimately, however Zeus took pity on her grief and turned her to stone. Niobe thus stands as a suitable focus for a vessel destined for a grave, In this case, she stands in a funerary naiskos with two funerary vessels, surrounded by four attendants holding grave offerings. Her brother Pelops drives up in his chariot with his bride Hippodameia to urge her to stop grieving. By painting the lower part of her dress white, the painter indicated Niobe slowly turning to stone from the feet up. The back of the vase also depicts a funerary naiskos flanked by attendants and containing a large funerary lekythos. Both the structure and the vessel are painted white to represent stone.