Skyphos (Mastoid) with black figures attributed in the manner of the painter of Haimon (Beazley)

Skyphos (Mastoid) with black figures
Attributed in the manner of the painter Haimon (Beazley)


Greek art, Attica, circa 490 B.C.

Black-glazed orange clay with red and white paint highlights
H. 8.5 cm
Minor retouching of the white highlights, otherwise superb preservation
SSW / 9921” number in pencil under the foot (Hearst numbering)

Provenance: William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), Hearst Castle, San Simeon (CA)
Sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries-Inc, New York, April 5-6, 1963, p. 8, n. 25
Coll. part. Paris

Bibliography: J.D. Beazley, Attic Black Figure Vase Painters, (Oxford 1956): 557.451; J.D. Beazley, Paralipomena, (Oxford 1971): 271
Beazley Archive, n. 331548

This black-figured skyphos is decorated on each side with a scene depicting Dionysus banqueting between a satyr and a maenad, set against a background of sprigs of dots. The very early style is that of the Painter of Haimon and his circle, the last representative of black-figure painting in Athens at the very beginning of the 5th century BC. Although this typology is attested by numerous examples, our mastoid skyphos stands out for its prestigious provenance. It was part of the impressive collection assembled by William Randolph Hearst in the early 20th century. This famous newspaper magnate, the inspiration for Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, had accumulated hundreds of works of art in the “castle” he had built in San Simeon, California. The vase collection was on display in the library, and our little vase can be seen in some of the photos.