Description
This small mixing vessel shows a finely dressed woman seated on a chest and holding up a mirror to admire herself. Before her stands Eros, the winged god of love, holding a ribbon or sash. Behind the woman stands a pillar with the inscription ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ, or APHRODITE, the goddess of love. Such labels are rare on vases, and scholars debate whether this names the woman shown as Aphrodite herself, with her son Eros, or a bride envisioning herself as Aphrodite, just before her wedding.
Provenance
Ludwig Pollak, Rome, Italy, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1924); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1924-)
Accession Number
1924.534
Medium
ceramic
Dimensions
Overall: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
Classification
Ceramic
Credit Line
Gift of J. H. Wade