Attic Red-Figure Oinochoe, Shape 3 (Chous)

With his mouth open as though singing, and his arms thrown out in a dramatic gesture, the bearded man on this vase shows the effects of a hard night’s drinking. At right, already burdened with his master’s staff and a basket, an enslaved youth holds out a vessel for the man to urinate into. The jug he offers is a *chous*, a special form of *oinochoe* (wine-pitcher), and it is the very same shape as the vessel on which this scene is depicted. Reinforcing the connection, another *chous* stands at the far right of the scene, garlanded with ivy.

The *chous* was used during the Anthesteria, a three-day religious festival in honor of Dionysos, the god of wine. A drinking contest was held on the second day of the festival, and these jugs were used to hold a standard amount of wine for the contest.