This article analyzes a lost bell-krater vase to explore Kalos inscriptions and Hephaistos in fifth-century Athens, suggesting interpretations of the artifact.
Kalos -inscriptions identify historical individuals, gods, heroes, even horses, as objects of amorous attention in Athens in the sixth and fifth centuries bce . Missing from catalogues of kalos names is an inscription on a bell-krater attributed to a painter in the Group of Polygnotos and dated to c. 440–430 bce . This vase, now lost to the art market, shows the Return of Hephaistos and includes the misspelled phrase ΚΑΛΟΣ ΗΦΑΡΣΤΟΣ. In this brief article, I re-present this vase and offer possible avenues for its interpretation. I argue that the vase can contribute to discussions of kalos -inscriptions, the characterization of the god Hephaistos, and the relationship between Athens and Hephaistos in the fifth century bce .
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Debby Sneed (2026) studied this question.
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