Two non-joining fragments. Fragment a comes from the lower part of the vase; fragment b is a shoulder fragment. Glaze on b is slightly abraded; streaky and pitted on inside. P.H. a) 0.175; max. dim. b) 0.108. P. E. Corbett, Hesperia 18, 1949, pls. 78, 79; Philippaki, Stamnos, pl. 61:4; Straten, Hierà Kalá , p. 204, cat. no. V 60.

Sacrifice of a bull in celebration of a victory in a torch race, the figures continuing around the vase without interruption. At the far left of fragment a, a youth (torso, legs) restrains a bull (head, part of rump missing) as it charges to right, preceded by a woman preserved from the waist down, also moving to right. She wears a chiton and himation and holds a torch with a hand shield in her outstretched left hand (most of the shaft of the torch and the flames are missing). Fragment b shows the left hand of the youth, which is gripping the bull's horn, and the face and outstretched right arm of the woman. Next on the main fragment is the altar, mounted on two steps with its crown molding decorated with an egg-and-dot pattern, below which is a frieze decorated with esses. A youth (legs, left forearm) to left rests his right foot on the second step of the altar. He holds a torch in his left hand, as does the youth behind him (head, shoulders, right arm missing), who stands beside an ithyphallic herm decorated with a kerykeion. At the very top, on the left, is the start of an arm. After this comes a tree and four youths (part of body, right arm, legs of one running; legs of another running; legs of two standing) to right. The fourth youth is directly behind the bull. Below the figures, egg pattern with dots. On shoulder at junction of neck, tongue pattern. Preliminary sketch. Dilute glaze: hair around horn of bull; muscles.

For the subject, see Corbett, Hesperia 18, 1949, pp. 346--351, who quite plausibly suggests that the torch race depicted on 118 may be the one that took place at the Panathenaia. The sacrifice of a bull at the end of a torch race is not known from many examples, and Corbett has dealt with most of them(pp. 346--351). They are: Bologna 328 (Metzger, Représentations, pl. 46:2); Mannheim Cg 123 (ARV2 1435, ---: side B connected with the Painter of Athens 12255, side A unattributed; Addenda 377); Vienna 706 (Metzger, pl. 46:5); Leipzig T 958 (Metzger, pl. 46:1). Metzger (p. 355) adds two: a lekythos in Boston, no no. (p. 355, no. 27: Nike leading a bull to sacrifice) and a small oinochoe, St. Petersburg, St. 2070 (p. 355, cat. no. 28: a women holding a lyre is followed by Nike, who leads a bull, and a runner who carries a torch). All these vases are dated in the early fourth century (Metzger, p. 354); thus, 118 seems to be one of the earliest if not the earliest example of this subject. The torch race on the bell-krater by the Kekrops Painter, mentioned by Corbett (pp. 347--348), is now New York, M.M.A. 56.171.49 (ARV2 1347, 3). For a discussion of the torch race, see Froning, Dithyrambos, pp. 78--81.

Somewhat recalls the Dinos Painter (ARV2 1190, 32; 1686).