A Testament to Wealth

This may seem like a simple piece of pottery with nothing more than a few black silhouettes to decorate it--but place it over a grave to stand three feet tall, and it becomes much more.  The paintings on this krater from the Dipylon cemetery in Athens tell all about the life of the man lying in the grave below.  Even beyond being a skillfully painted tombstone, the krater also stands as an attestation of the family's wealth.  People could  continue to donate to that wealth by pouring "libations" into the krater that would then seep into the soil through an opening at the bottom.  

Although the black figures may seem simple, and not fit for a rich man's grave, they were stylish for their time.  This krater was created around 740 BCE during the Greek Geometric period--a precursor to the detailed sculptures and friezes that Classical Greece is known for.  The figures on this krater are not even anatomically correct . . . breasts on the women figures are placed near the armpits so that their gender is clear.  Also as characteristic in Geometric art, each little space is filled with some sort of design so that it wouldn't look incomplete.  These elements created the art that could best attest to the wealth of the dead.