Before him, Thetis holds an oinochoe, or pitcher, from which she has filled or is about to fill his bowl, while also supporting her son’s shield. His helmet pushed back, Achilles is seated before a column, holding a spear in one hand and a libation, or offering, bowl in the other.
This scene is believed to depict Achilles, the great Greek warrior of the Trojan War, at home with his mother, Thetis, her father, and Nereus, and a Nereid, or sea nymph. Behind him, another woman extends her hand as if to take his shield, which bears the image of a lion, its tongue extended.
Since he hands his helmet, decorated with a leaping dolphin, to a woman wearing a diadem, or crown, who stands before him, he may be returning from battle. In the center stands a warrior, whose long spear breaks the picture plane into two parts. This type of krater, or bowl for mixing wine and water, takes its name from the resemblance of its shape to an inverted bell.
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