Black-figure Deinos

Among the vases coming from the necropolis of Fratte, special mention needs to be made of the Attic black-figure “deinos,” dating from the end of the sixth century B.C., attributed to the circle of the Antimenes Painter. The vase is composed of three parts, and bears traces of a restoration made before its placement in the tomb, testifying to the exceptional quality of the object, already recognized in ancient times. The iconography of the vase evokes several mythological episodes, among them the divine procession for the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, parents of Achilles, and the departure of Amphiaraos, king of Argos, for the war against Thebes. On the border below there are pairs of lions and wild boars, while on the interior side of the lip of the vase are depicted five ships with white sails. The “deinos,” like the “krater,” constituted the central item in the apparatus of a Symposium, as it was destined to contain wine.