To the left, a Black African youth tends the brazier on which rods are heating that will spread the tinted wax. The painter, characterized by his cap and his garment worn to leave his upper body bare, applies a mixture of pigment and wax with a spatula to Herakles’ lion-skin. In the foreground stands a statue of Herakles with his club, bow, and lion-skin. The column and phiale (libation bowl) at the far left indicate an interior space, probably a sanctuary. This vase illustrates a craft for which virtually no evidence survives, that of applying pigment to stone sculpture using the technique of encaustic. Obverse, artist painting a statue of Herakles Reverse, Athena with deities Representations of artists at work are exceedingly rare.
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