Vatican Museums

The panel of this three-lobed oinochoe with a globular body depicts an episode from the Battle of Troy (duel between Ajax and Hector), departing from Homer’s account (Iliad, XIV, 402ss), with the main characters qualified by painted inscriptions.
Ajax – with chitoniskos, helmet, shield and jambeaux – has struck Hector with a lance. The latter, with one leg resting on the ground, protects himself from his assailant using his shield and in turn attempts to strike with his raised right arm. Hector is naked except for his helmet and jambeaux; blood pours from the wound on his right thigh, painted red. Aeneas comes to Hector’s aid from the right, with his shield raised and spear ready to strike; he holds a sword at his side and is wearing a helmet and jambeaux.
On the left, the picture is completed by two warriors engaged in battle: the one on the left, wearing a pelt, holds a shield covered with animal skin; the contender, naked, is armed with a shield, spear, and sword by his side.
The backgrounds in crimson and white, in alternated chromatic fields, enliven the composition, also defining certain details.