**First Time At Auction**

Greece, Attic, attributed to the Light-Make Class, ca. 540 to 480 BCE. A splendid pottery neck amphora boasting skillfully painted black-figure decoration of 3 battling warriors on one side and the famed hero Achilles on the other. On side A, a fully-armed Achilles strides right surrounded by robed figures, perhaps attendants or fellow warriors, all grasping spears that add dynamic visual lines to the scene. Clad in a high-crested helmet and large shield, our hero turns his head left as though addressing one of the figures. Alternatively, side B displays 3 warriors in battle, all dressed in helmets and armor as they each hold a shield in 1 hand and a lengthy spear in the other. The central figure has seemingly fallen to his knee as the 2 others stand to either side of him, striding toward their fallen foe as they pierce him with their spears. Size: 4" Diameter x 6" H (10.2 cm x 15.2 cm)

The remainder of the vessel is elaborately adorned with scrolling palmettes that separate the sides and decorate the neck, a tongued pattern above each scene, and rays with a dotted design below. All of this lavish ornamentation is nicely complemented by the elegant silhouette of the vessel, which presents a classic form of a discoid foot, broad, a rounded shoulders, a tall neck, and a pair of arched, trifurcated handles that connect the shoulders to the flared rim.

Achilles was the son of the nereid or sea nymph Thetis and the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. Renowned as the mightiest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War, during his childhood, Thetis dipped Achilles in the waters of the River Styx which rendered him invincible, except for the section of his heel by which Thetis held him; hence the term "Achilles' heel."

This amphora is attributed to a group of Athenian painters whom Beazley named The Light-Make Group, due to their light color palette. The Light-Make Group is known for Athenian black-figure vases of similar shape, often with a white ground.

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Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private prominent Daryl Kulok collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 2000s

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#177223

Professionally repaired with restoration and re-painting over break lines. Visible chipping to rim. Expected nicks, pitting, and abrasions, throughout, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with impressive preservation of detail.