Terracotta oinochoe (jug) 450 BC

Curator: Isn’t it marvelous? Here we have a terracotta oinochoe, a jug, dating back to around 450 BC, from the hand of Polion. It’s currently residing here at the Metropolitan Museum. The craftsmanship, even after all this time, it's astounding. Editor: It feels suspended, like a frozen moment from a dream. The black glaze contrasts so starkly with the pale figures… a winged figure and a deer locked in mid-leap, gives a sense of dynamic potential. But I wonder, what kind of dream? Curator: It could be so many things, really. What stories could this jug hold? One could almost imagine the artist taking cues from the grand plays of the time, rendering it almost theatrical… a snapshot from a myth! Editor: Perhaps. And I notice how the scene, framed between those decorative bands, resembles a stage—further supporting your theater interpretation. Yet, that framing feels restrictive too. I find myself drawn to the symbolism – is the deer a symbol of wildness? Of freedom? And how does it intertwine with that winged character? Are we witnessing the subjugation of nature by a divine figure, or something more harmonious? Curator: Subjugation is a strong word! But the inherent tension is not lost on me, I wonder about that, the dual nature of the divine and the animalistic, especially the contrast that he chooses in their postures; and their purpose of travel, a potential for escape? Editor: The figure’s winged presence evokes authority, transcendence. Considering the sociopolitical landscape of the era, it wouldn't surprise me if this echoes power dynamics – of man's power over animals, yes, or maybe it's some commentary on humans' aspirations to transcend earthly limits... to soar, spiritually, intellectually... to embody what the winged god represents. Curator: Perhaps it’s both. Art speaks in riddles, no? Leaving it up to us, millennia later, to fill in the blanks. Editor: Leaving us grappling with the enduring power dynamics of nature and the divine. Sobering thoughts over a cup of wine perhaps, if you’re drinking from it. Curator: Beautiful and sobering!