T40.6 THE PURIFICATION OF ORESTES
| Museum Collection | Musée du Louvre, Paris |
|---|---|
| Catalogue No. | - |
| Beazley Archive No. | N/A |
| Ware | Apulian Red Figure |
| Shape | Krater |
| Painter | Attributed to the Eumenides Painter |
| Date | ca 380 - 370 B.C. |
| Period | Late Classical |
DESCRIPTION
Orestes is purified of the crime of matricide at Delphi. The hero sits beside the omphalos stone with a sword in his hand. Apollo stands above him performing the rites of purification with the blood of a suckling pig. The god holds a branch of laurel in his other hand. He is accompanied by the goddess Artemis who wears a knee-lenght maiden's skirt and holds a pair of hunting spears. On the opposite side, the three Erinyes (Furies) are appeased, falling into a restful slumber. The ghost of Clytmenestra attempts to rouse them.