This Athenian drinking cup is transformed into a mask when it is bought to the lips of the drinker: an illustration of the transformative powers of Dionysus and his role as god of theatre and impersonation. The cup would have been used during a symposium, when the opening prayer and drink would have been dedicated to Dionysus.
The English classicist and archaeologist John Beazley conferred the name the Logie Painter on the artist who decorated this object in the Logie Collection: a name piece such as this is the first attributable example linked to a specific artisan. The cup illustrates different techniques in Greek vase painting: the male head is in black-figure technique and the female head is in outline.
