Detail of a Terracotta Oinochoe Attributed to the Pan Painter in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2008

Terracotta Oinochoe: chous (jug)
Greek, Attic, red-figure, ca. 470 BC
Attributed to the Pan Painter
Ganymede with gamecock and hoop

Accession # 23.160.55

Renowned for his beauty, Ganymede was a scion of the Trojan royal house. Zeus desired him to be the gods' cupbearer on Mount Olympos. Representations of the late sixth and fifth centuries BC show Ganymede being carried off by Zeus himself; beginning in the fourth century, Zeus is replaced by an eagle. The Pan Painter perfectly depicts the boy as he runs along. The subject is fitting for a jar from which wine was poured.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.