RF Epinetron – Wedding Scene after the Eretria Painter

Red-Figure Epinetron (Onos), after the Eretria Painter, ca. 430–420 BCE

From THETIS Cabinet — one of a Kind, 2018–2020.

The epinetron (ἐπίνητρον) was one of the most distinctive objects associated with women's domestic life in ancient Greece. Its name derives from the Greek verb νήθω (to spin), referring to the process of twisting prepared wool fibres into yarn. Worn over the thigh, the epinetron provided a textured surface against which wool could be rolled and twisted before being wound onto the spindle. Contrary to descriptions sometimes encountered, the epinetron was not used for carding or combing wool, but for spinning it into yarn. Its scale-like surface provided the necessary friction to prevent the fibres from slipping during twisting.

Closely associated with women's work and the ideal of the accomplished wife, elaborately decorated epinetra also acquired symbolic significance in connection with marriage and the transition from maidenhood to married life.

This exceptional example reproduces a red-figure epinetron attributed to the Eretria Painter. Its miniature decoration unfolds across the curved surface in two richly populated scenes. Alcestis and her companions appear on one side, while the other brings together Aphrodite, Eros, Harmonia, Peitho, Kore, Hebe and Himeros — divinities and personifications associated with love, persuasion, harmony, youth and desire. The remarkably fine lines and details are best appreciated under close observation and appropriate lighting. At the closed end, which covered the knee, the vessel terminates in a modelled female bust.

The Making of the Epinetron

This one-of-a-kind piece was created at THETIS between 2018 and 2020. After the body was formed on the potter's wheel, Angeliki Dervenioti, sculptor and conservator, modelled the female bust and created the scale-like reliefs of the upper surface. Vicky Xyda Ralli, then a new vase painter at THETIS, transferred the complex compositions and began the painting. The decoration was subsequently extensively revised and completed by Popi Mitsopoulou, with the guidance of Eleni Aloupi.

The two sides preserve traces of this process: the lines of the Alcestis scene are at times more hesitant, while those of the Aphrodite scene are noticeably more confident and decisive. These subtle differences form part of the object's individual history — a record of learning, collaboration and evolving craftsmanship within the THETIS workshop.

Appropriately, an object so closely connected with women's work in antiquity was recreated through the combined skills of three women artisans.

Handmade and hand-painted in Athens after the original in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens (inv. 1629).