The Sarpedon Krater arrived in New York City in 1972 as “the hot pot,” a million-dollar vessel that made the news, was the most expensive Greek pot ever sold, and immediately became a big draw for visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Painted by Euphronios in 515 BC, the pot had somewhat unknown origins — it was claimed to have been found in pieces in a shoebox of an antiquities trader — but it actually had been recently looted from an Etruscan grave north of Rome. For more than 30 years, it was the centerpiece of the Met’s collection of Greek vases, but in 2008 the vessel was repatriated to Italy.
The first few chapters of Nigel Spivey’s excellent book, The Sarpedon Krater, details this recent history and the cast of characters, including grave looters, shady antiquities dealers, and attention-loving museum directors. But Spivey doesn’t stop there, further exploring the history of the vessel painter Euphronios, the function of the krater as a celebratory vessel in ancient Greece and Italy, and the art historical implications of the imagery.
The krater depicts the slain Homeric warrior Sarpedon being carried from the battlefield into the heavens, and is widely regarded as one of the best of the 27 vases attributed to Euphronios. The image of Sarpedon, draped, bleeding, with an arm falling, became an iconic image that has permeated throughout art history in different forms.
The book is illustrated throughout with images and drawings detailing the work of Euphronios, and a variety of sculptures, reliefs, bottles, and other shapes have a similar image. It’s an enlightening introduction to the world of Greek vase painting.
After reading, I dug deeper into the story of the Sarpedon Krater and revisited the history of ancient Greek red-figure pottery. I found a few great videos, which I’ve shared below, along with some images from this engaging book.
The Sarpedon Krater: The Life and Afterlife of a Greek Vase by Nigel Spivey, 2019
Images from inside the book
Making a contemporary interpretation of red-figure pottery:
SmartHistory video on the Sarpedon Krater by Euphronios with Erin Thompson and Steven Zucker:
Anything to add about the Sarpedon Krater? Let us know in the comments.
