Attic Red-Figure Hydria

Three-handled hydria with three women on the body. At the center, a seated woman to left, holding a necklace. She sits on a rock and wears a chiton. Added white is used for the binding in her hair. The woman on the left, wearing a band around her head (with added white dots) and a chiton holds out a casket (decorated with stripes and circles, topped by two white balls, perhaps fruit) with her right hand and a necklace with her left. Her counterpart on the right is similarly attired, and holds a mirror and a necklace. Ovolo pattern on mouth, neck and body.
The private activities of women became an increasingly popular subject for vase painters in the second half of the fifth century bc. Here the rocky outcrop situates the figures outdoors, and rather than representing daily life, the scene may convey an imagined past.