Podanipter

In the Polo Museale of Ascoli, in an environment covered with dark drapes and wisely illuminated, there is space for the permanent exhibition "Policromie del sublime" which displays a collection of marble finds of the fourth century B.C. coming from a tomb of the noble Dauna elite.

In addition to the admirable Grifoni here is exposed a series of 8 vases, always in marble, of various sizes, among which stands out a crater, once colored on which you can see the paler shapes left by the gold leaves, no longer present. But to steal the attention more than any other work of art is a podanipter, or a ritual basin for washing the feet with polychrome depictions.

The basin in a precious marble, almost transparent, is supported by 3 supports to the paws of the animal. In its hollow, with a prevalence of red, green and yellow it is still possible to see the scene, told by Homer in the seventh song of the Iliad, of the transport of arms that Hephaestus forged for Achilles at the request of his mother Thetis: You can see the Nereids on horseback of fantastic sea animals. The quality of the material and the painting leave the viewer breathless.