1996.34.A-B, Red figure patera with Atlas handle, attributed to the Painter of Louvre MNB 1148 (Trendall), Greek, South Italian, Apulian, last third of the fourth century BCE

This patera, or offering bowl, is a rare type featuring a terracotta sculptural handle in the form of a male nude with a beard. He upholds the disk of the bowl in his upstretched hands which is likely a reference to the mythological character Atlas, a giant who carries the heavens on his shoulders. The temple of Zeus at Akragas, in Sicily, used such Atlantid figures as architectural supports, and this handle may have been inspired by sculptural prototypes. Only a handful of such Atlantid figures used as patera handles have survived.

This patera is from Apulia, the southeastern area of south Italy settled by Greek colonists, a region that is known for a rich style of ceramics based on techniques of Attic red-figure pottery, emphasizing complex figural compositions, added colors, and a monumentality of conception and scale. It nicely complements the DMA's extensive collection of gold jewelry from South Italy, especially since the figures depicted inside the bowl are wearing types of ornament from the fourth century B.C.E. The Greek cities of Italy were often wealthier than the older states on the mainland and thus were able to commission lavish decorative arts.

Until 1996: Mr. Robert Haber (Robert Haber & Associates, Inc.), New York, New York  [1]

From 1996: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from above

[1] See copy of check #5082 in Collections Records Object File 1996.34.a-b

Apply to objects where number equals 1996.34.a-b