The painter of this small drinking cup worked in the Greek colonies of Apulia, a region of southern Italy. In the early 4th century Apulia overtook Athens as the main centre for high-quality painted pottery, but, by the time this vase was produced, artistic standards had declined considerably. A.D. Trendall wrote of the painter of this vase: ‘his drawing is exceedingly sketchy and looks to have been done in some haste, since on occasions he omits an arm.’ Several vases by the Thyrsus Painter have scenes similar to this one, showing women and young men in pursuit.
Literature: J. Falconer and T. Mannack, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain, Fascicule 19: Winchester College (Oxford, 2002), p. 17, plate 13.1-3; A.D. Trendall and A. Cambitoglou, The red-figure vases of Apulia, 2 vols (Oxford, 1978), I, p. 278, no. 151; Winchester College Memorial Buildings: Department of Classical Art (Winchester, 1909), p. 22 (no. 74)
Provenance: Unknown, at Winchester College by 1909
Location: Treasury, Gallery 3