Description
Attributed to Onesimos as painter (active ca. 505–480 BCE)
Signed by Euphronios as potter (active 520–470 BCE)
The Greek historian Herodotus (484–425 BCE) describes a custom of Scythian warriors to cut and display the scalp of their enemy. This description may help explain why the warrior, dressed as a Greek, wears an enemy’s scalp on his helmet, showing the practice of this foreign custom by Greeks. The scalp shows pin-straight hair adorned with a wreath. Hair without any texture is far less common among ancient Greeks, and it may allude to a non-Greek enemy. In contrast, the warrior’s curled and wavy hair protrudes from below the nose guard and around the lower edges of his Corinthian-style helmet. Enhanced power with the scalp of a vanquished enemy on his helmet, coupled with his active stance and raised shield, convey a threatening message to his unseen opponent. A related example is the Mask from a Cavalry Helmet (no. 35).
Details
- Work Date:
- 500–490 BCE
- Medium:
- Terracotta
- Credit Line:
- The J. Paul Getty Museum (86.AE.311)