Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios
c. 420–410 BCE
Medium
ceramic, with gilding
Dimensions
h. 30.3 cm · diam. 18.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1982.142
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
The central group on this vase shows the seated earth goddess Ge (also known as Gaia) handing her baby, Erichthonios, to Athena. Conceived from the seed of Hephaistos, Erichthonios would go on to become a king of Athens, and the story of his birth became popular in Athenian art of the fifth century BC. Other representations include Hephaistos as well as Kekrops, the mythical first king of Athens, sometimes together with Zeus and other deities. But this one includes only female onlookers—likely t...