Darius Vase
The Darius Vase is a famous vase painted by an anonymous Magna Graecia Apulian vase painter, commonly called the Darius Painter, the most eminent representative at the end of the "Ornate Style" in South Italian red-figure vase painting. The vase was produced between 340 and 320 BCE, probably in a large factory-like workshop in the Greek city of Taranto (ancient Taras), Magna Graecia, well before the fall of Taranto to the Romans in 272 BCE. It is an important part of Apulian vase painting. The "Darius Vase" was discovered in 1851 near Canosa di Puglia and is now on display at the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples (H3253). This work, a volute krater is of large dimensions. It is 1.3 meters in height and 1.93 meters in circumference.The vase contains several inscriptions, such as naming individual figures, but there are also thematical names (such as persai – Persians). To some extent these inscriptions can be seen as "titles". All available space on the vase is used for figural depictions, arranged in two or three registers. Some individual zones are structured by opulent ornamental friezes. The Darius Painter is considered the first painter to have fully exploited the possibilities of large-format vase painting. His drawing style is reputed to be especially good, particularly as regards faces, which he often depicts in a three-quarter profile.
ancient work of art
krater vase