Ca. 400-300 BC. A beautiful red-figure terracotta krater with a broad rim, bell-shaped body flanked by two lug handles, and a pedestalled ring foot. Side A depicts a cloaked female figure holding a circular object, perhaps a tympanon (hand drum), who follows a nude male, who holds a bucket. Side B features two laureate males clad in chlamydes facing each other. The scenes are separated by vegetal motifs and are framed by a wreath of laurel around the rim, and a geometric frieze below running around the whole of the vessel. Kraters were ancient Greek vessels used for diluting wine with water; they usually stood on a tripod in the dining room during a symposium (drinking party), where wine was mixed. Ancient wine was considerably stronger than its modern counterparts and often had to be mixed with water, honey, and spices. Kraters were made of metal or pottery and were often painted or elaborately ornamented. In Homer's Iliad, the prize offered by Achilles for the footrace at Patroclus's funeral games was a silver krater of Sidonian workmanship. The Greek historian Herodotus describes many enormous and costly kraters dedicated at temples or used in religious ceremonies to hold libations. Cf. Christie's, Live Auction 5952, Antiquities, 27 October 2009, Lot 17.Size: L:325mm / W:330mm ; 3.36kgProvenance: Property of a central London Gallery; formerly in a South English estate collection; acquired in the 1990s from Andre de Munter, Brussels, Belgium; previously in and old European collection.