An Attic Black-Figured Krater with Six Dancing Komasts
Circa 500 B.C.
Height 8 1/2 inches (21.5 cm).

Provenance:
Private Collection, UK, acquired in London in the 1980s.
Private Collection, United States, acquired in 1985.
Aphrodite Ancient Art, New York, prior to 2015 (Art of the Ancients, Vol. II, p. 8-9, no. 5).

On two panels, six Komasts (revellers) dance around the sides of this krater, adorning padded tunics with one arm forward and one arm back, holding what appear to be drinking horns. Komasts were portrayed on drinking vessels as early as 500s B.C. and shed considerable light on ancient Greek life.

This krater would have been used to house wine and is a fitting receptacle to bear the scene of the Komos (ritualistic procession). The Komos was performed, particularly during the Greater Dionysia, to pay homage to Dionysus, the God of wine, theatre, and euphoria. There are ancient references to the Komos, suggesting the procession was also incorporated into other festivals, symposiums, and even weddings. A vessel with this scene would have surely sparked joy and laughter from its patron during a pleasurable celebration.