Attic Black-Figure Mastoid Cup

A continuous figural frieze runs around the body of this vessel. A male youth wearing a cloak (patterned with added red) holds a long staff or scepter in his right hand, and gestures forward with his left. He wears a fillet in his hair, and sits on a stool. Before him is a standing nude, bearded male who holds a club (?) in his right hand. He gestures forward with his left arm, and seems to have a scabbard about his waist. In front of him is a beardless male wearing a chitoniskos, with a scabbard at his hip. He holds a long sword with his right hand, and gestures emphatically forward with his left hand toward a fleeing centaur. The centaur runs to the right, and rotates his torso to look back at his pursuer. His left arm is extended forward, but the lower half is missing (and is now replaced by a fill). In front of the centaur is a figure - seemingly female - wearing a chiton who flees to the right, looking back at the centaur. The scene is likely to be associated with the story of Deianeira ,who was carried off by the Centaur Nessos and rescued by Herakles. The figural zone is framed above and below by a thin black line around the vessel. The mouth and lower part of the body are black.