To mark the
150 anniversary of the foundation of the National Archaeological Museum in
Athens, the museum will borrow an
ancient terracotta krater (bowl for mixing wine with water) with a rare
depiction of a sculptor at work from The New York Metropolitan Museum. The
column krater from the Greek colonies in the Apulian region of south Italy,
dated to the late Classical era (360–350 B.C.) and attributed to the Group of
Boston 00.348, will be put on display in the National Archaeological Museum
from May 9 until September 30.
The Central
Archaeological Council approved the temporary import of the krater, which is
loaned in exchange for artifacts contributed by the National Archaeological
Museum to the exhibition “Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
World” organised by the Metropolitan Museum between April 18 and July 10. The
costs of transporting the krater to and from New York will be covered by the
Metropolitan Museum.
The
specific krater stands out for its depiction of a sculptor employing a now lost
sculpting technique. Representations of artists at work are, according to the
krater’s description at the Met, in any case rare. The specific vase, however,
additionally “illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives,
that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic.”