Red-Figure Hydria
Paestan, attributed to the Boston Orestes Painter
ca. 325-310 BCE
25.9 cm high x 14.0 cm greatest diameter
The hydria was traditionally used as a water jar, but the relatively small size and high quality of this vessel indicate that it was more likely a decorative, rather than a functional, object. It depicts Eros as a young man, holding a spear and wreath, with his foot resting on a spotted rock. A small altar appears behind him.