Belly amphora by the Nessos Painter
The belly amphora by the Nessos Painter is a large Attic black-figure vase from around 610–600 BCE. It is one of the earliest belly amphorae and one of the few works definitely attributed to the Nessos Painter, the first known Attic black-figure painter. The vase’s main decoration shows two griffins facing each other; the back is entirely black.
On the front, two large griffins with big paws and open mouths dominate the scene. Between them sits a small palm tree with an owl, and rosettes fill the surrounding spaces. A zigzag line runs between the griffins’ heads and wings. The neck shows two panthers facing opposite directions. The decoration suggests the vase was used as a grave vase.
The amphora stands about 79 cm tall and 54.5 cm wide; it has a conical foot about 26.3 cm across and a lip about 31 cm. It has two oval-cross-section handles. The vessel was found in pieces; the surface is worn, and gaps were patched during restoration.
Experts, including John Boardman, Heide Mommsen, and Christa Vogelpohl, attribute it to the Nessos Painter, who is regarded as the first Attic black-figure painter. The Nessos Painter’s work is an early example of figurative decoration in Attic black-figure pottery. The decoration also suggests the vase served as a grave vase.
The vase entered the Berlin collection in 1961 from a Viennese private collection and has been on display in the Altes Museum since 2001. The exact origin within Attica is unknown.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:15 (CET).