Detail of an Etruscan Terracotta Kantharos in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2010

Terracotta kantharos (drinking cup)

Period: Late Classical

Date: ca. 325–300 B.C.

Culture: Etruscan

Medium: Terracotta

Dimensions: H. 6 3/16 in. (15.7 cm)

Classification: Vases

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951

Accession Number: 51.11.10

Description:

Obverse and reverse, griffins attacking a deer

The subject of griffins attacking a deer has a long history and remained popular during the Hellenistic period throughout the Mediterranean area. It may be a symbol of the inevitability of death. The handles are ribbon-like and include so-called Herakles knots, a square knot symbolic of love and power in the ancient world. In the Roman Imperial period, Herakles knots were believed to heal wounds.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...