An Attic Black-figured Neck Amphora and Lid, attributed to the Swing Painter, circa 540-530 B.C.

with stepped foot, triple handles, and echinus mouth, side A painted with Heracles stepping up on a bema and playing the kithara, wearing a lion skin, a quiver over his shoulder, the hero flanked by two gesturing women wearing long belted dresses with dotted and cross-hatched decoration, side B painted with a woman saying goodbye to two warriors with their dogs, the warriors wearing high-crested helmets, and carrying shields emblazoned with the forequarters of a panther and the forequarters of a horse, quatrefoil palmettes in the handle zones, rays, meander and linked lotus buds above the foot, tongues on the shoulder, double palmettes on the neck, the details in added red and white; accession no. 09.8, old inventory no. 198.

William Henry Forman (1794-1869), Pippbrook House, Dorking, Surrey
his nephew, Major Alexander H. Browne (1813-1894), Callaly Castle, Northumberland, acquired in 1890
Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, London, The Forman Collection. Catalogue of the Egyptian, Greek & Roman Antiquities, etc., June 19th, 1899, no. 297)
Henri De Morgan (1854-1909), New York, (Fifth Avenue Art Galleries, New York, Catalogue of Greek Vases and Antique Iridescent Glass Cameos, Intaglios, and Silver Coins Selected and Catalogued by H. De Morgan, January 16th, 1909, no. 134, illus.)
Thomas Barlow Walker (1840-1928), Minneapolis, Minnesota, acquired at the above sale
The T.B. Walker Foundation (founded 1925), Minneapolis, inv. no. WF4a,b
on loan from the above to the Walker Art Gallery, subsequently the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, acc. no. 09.08, old inv. no. 198
on loan from both of the above to the University Gallery, University of Minnesota, inv. no. L1972.1.4a,b

“Greek Vases and Tanagra Figures,” University Gallery, University of Minnesota, November 2nd to November 30th, 1952
“Greek Vases,” University Gallery, University of Minnesota, February 9th to March 31st, 1981
“Pots – an Eclectic Few,” University Gallery, University of Minnesota, January 16th to April 3rd, 1992

William Chaffers, Catalogue of the Works of Antiquity and Art Collected by the Late William Henry Forman, Esqu., Pippbrook House, Dorking, Surrey, and removed in 1890 to Callaly Castle, Northumberland, by Major A.H. Browne, London, 1892, no. 597
Michael Anderson, Greek Vases, exhibition catalogue, University Gallery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1981, p. 10, cat. 1, cover illus.

Intact and generally excellent. A few insignificant nicks on the edge and top of the rim, and one on top of one handle. Some slight cracks and/or scratches and abrasions on the glaze above the foot. The painting itself is generally in very good shape. Note large area the left of the bema which appears have lost its red glaze, and this effects the right leg and foot and ends of the lion skin of Herakles, as well as the feet of the woman at his left. The painter seen to have made errors with the red hemline of her dress, which spills out behind onto the baseline. Another apparent error on Side B is the missing black glaze on the right foot of the warrior at right, where there is also a very slight pre-firing dent. The greaves on both warriors are not treated the same, but this could be intentional. The lid is also intact, and has some misfiring and very minor defects. Several inventory numbers appear under the foot of the vase and under the lid. The lid does not appear to have been made for this amphora, but there is a good chance it was associated with it in antiquity.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The lid does not appear to have been made for this vase, but may have been associated with it in antiquity.