Orpheus is not my favourite personality in Greek mythology (bit of a wimp actually, not adequately rescuing Eurydice from Hades, disrespecting Dionysos, etc), but this fragmentary white-ground cup is an absolute stunner, and who doesn’t love a homicidal maenad.
White-ground is a technique usually reserved for Athenian lekythoi – those cylindrical vessels generally associated with gentle librations at tombs and as offerings upon them. The delicate technique is wholly unsuitable for drinking cups (red wine, however dilute, is a pretty good way to destroy them), so drinking cups like this were almost certainly made to be dedications. And this one was dedicated on the Akropolis – in fact found in a pit (Perserschutt!!!) and quite clearly burned at the bottom right, so from the very early career of the Pistoxenos Painter, dedicated and then very soon after victim of the Persian ransack. Cool, eh?
But I digress – just look at the drapery, and faces of both the maenad to the left and Orpheus to the right. The painting quality is second to none. And the scene is a great one: at first glance Orpheus might seem to be sitting peacefully on a rock, contemplating his lyre. But his lower half is actually twisting desperately around, trying escape the murderous onslaught of the maenad who approaches him.
And she is a marvel, her face is impassive, hair streaming, and those powerful arms bedecked with tattoos (don’t miss that tiny stag on her upper bicep), indicating that she is a Thracian maenad – a northern madwoman…best kind) and seriously upset at Orpheus’ lack of respect for Dionysos. She’s wielding a large double axe (only the black head is preserved), and Orpheus will soon pay for his impiety.
