Attic Black-Figure Amphora

Both the obverse and reverse are decorated with two female dancers (possibly maenads) facing each other holding castanets (krotala). Their bodies are lively and expressive of movement in dance. Intertwining vines and palmettes decorate the sides, enriched with touches of purple and white paint. The presence of the five-leaf palmette suggests the possibility this vase was painted by the Edinburgh Painter who introduced this concept replacing the use of the seven-leaf palmette. The result is a work of vigorous movement and charming detail.