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Oil flask (aryballos) with Odysseus confronted by Sirens
Greek
Archaic period
575–550 B.C.
Place of Manufacture: Greece, Corinthia, Corinth
Medium/Technique
Ceramic, Black Figure
Dimensions
Height: 10.2 cm (4 in.); diameter: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in)
Credit Line
Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number01.8100
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsVessels
Catalogue Raisonné
Fairbanks, Vases (MFA), no. 467.
DescriptionOdysseus, tied to the mast of the ship, sails by the island of the Sirens. The heads of his crew are visible as they row past. Three sirens are shown atop a rocky cliff. Two huge birds hover above the ship, menacing the sailors. A large building is visible behind the boat.
ProvenanceBy 1901: with Edward Perry Warren (according to Warren's records: Bought in Munich.); purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren, December 1901