A LARGE APULLIAN RED-FIGURED VOLUTE-KRATER BY THE BALTIMORE PAINTER
CIRCA 330-320 B.C.
This intricately painted vessel of monumental size was most likely fashioned during Alexander's lifetime -- the painter, the so-called "Baltimore Painter," was definitely a contemporary of his. The Apulians, like a number of other Greek cities from the mainland and southern Italy, sent delegations to Alexander during his residence in Babylon in 323 BC. These were to confirm Alexander's godhood and celebrate his successes. Famed for their ornate ceramic wares and other decorative arts, the Apulians may have included objects such as this among the gifts that surely would have sent along with their ambassadors.
A warrior and his horse are within an Ionic naiskos with scrolling on its plinth the warrior wearing a belted red chiton and a pilos helmet, holding a spear in his left hand and the reins in his right; to the right of the naiskos a seated female figure holding an oinochoe and a wreath, and a standing female figure with a mirror and a situla; and to the left a seated female figure with a fan and a situla, and a standing female figure with a cista and wreaths.
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