Vatican Museums

A running Nike is represented on both sides on the neck of the vessel, and a pair of naked fighters on the shoulders; on one side only, the image is associated with the painted signature of the potter (nikosthenes epoiesen). A tripod is depicted on the handle, while on the lip there is a series of three leaping dolphins. Below the shoulder there is a frieze with lotus buds, and below this a frieze with animals.
Nikosthenes signs, as a potter, this large group of amphoræ with a characteristic angular shape, raised edges and handles in the form of strips. This type of production was intended for exportation to Etruria, especially Cerveteri as in this case, where local versions in bucchero were also made. The dominant themes are linked to the world of athletics, with illustrations of competitions, and consequently victory and reward, or to the sphere of war as occurs elsewhere. In both cases, two significant aspects of the life of the Athenian citizen are emphasised: physical exercise and military duty. The élite of the Etruscan city state identified itself with the image of these activities, symbols of the highest levels of Athenian citizenship.