Oinochoai were a type of jug or pitcher whose name means literally ‘wine pourer’. They might be used either to pour wine into a bowl to be mixed with water, or as a ladle to transport the mixed wine from the bowl to the drinking cup. In keeping with their function, oinochoai were often painted with images of revelry and drinking.

This vase shows a satyr, one of the mythical followers of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Satyrs were known for their voracious sexual appetite and drunken revels. They are often portrayed chasing maenads or (as here) in a state of intoxication. The satyr is wearing a tainia, a type of headband typically worn at religious festivals. He holds a wineskin, traditionally made from the skin of a goat sacrificed in the worship of Dionysus.

Literature: J. Falconer and T. Mannack, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain, Fascicule 19: Winchester College (Oxford, 2002), p. 8, plate 7.4-5; J.D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters 2^nd edn. (Oxford, 1963), p. 1173.2; The Wykehamist, No. 1310 (2 December 1963), p. 10; J. Chittenden and C. Seltman, Greek Art, a Commemorative Catalogue of an Exhibition held in 1946 at the Royal Academy, (London, 1947), p. 10 (no. 101); Winchester College Memorial Buildings: Department of Classical Art (Winchester, 1909), p. 22 (no. 72)

Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, London, 15 February – 17 March, 1946, no. 101.

Provenance: From Athens, at Winchester College by 1909

Location: Treasury, Gallery 3