---
title: Red-figured Hydria - Dance Training Session
author: The Trustees of The British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12861/red-figured-hydria---dance-training-session/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Red-figured Hydria - Dance Training Session
_Authored by The Trustees of The British Museum_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/12861.jpg)
## Image Caption
Red-figured hydria (water-jar) displaying a dance-training (gymnopaida) session. Two young girls practice dancing under the supervision of a female and a male tutor. The girls wear short tunics (chiton) and take identical steps towards each other, hands on hips, a movement reserved for solo-dancing in ancient [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/). Their heads are turned towards their tutors, who are both dressed elaborately with crowns on their heads, suggesting the high status of teachers in classical [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/). The words kale and kalos (meaning “beautiful”) is inscribed, respectively, above the heads of the girls and the male instructor, who may use his stick to tap the dance beats. The horseshoe-shaped [lyre](https://www.worldhistory.org/Lyre/), decorated with two eyes, hung on a corner, symbolises [music](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Music/). Hydriai were vessels for carrying and keeping water. They were mostly used by [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/). Therefore, many of them are decorated with paintings about women’s life. This hydria was made in Attica, Greece, around 425 to 450 BCE, and found in Capua, [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/). It is painted by The Phiale Painter, a prominent artist of red-figure technique.
## External Links
- [British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1873-0820-354)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Museum, T. T. o. T. B. (2020, October 07). Red-figured Hydria - Dance Training Session. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Museum, The Trustees of The British. "Red-figured Hydria - Dance Training Session." *World History Encyclopedia*, October 07, 2020. .
### MLA
Museum, The Trustees of The British. "Red-figured Hydria - Dance Training Session." *World History Encyclopedia*, 07 Oct 2020, .
## License & Copyright
The British Museum has released this image under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International ([CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)) license. You can read more about the British Museum and Creative Commons [here](https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use/copyright_and_permissions.aspx). [Original image](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1873-0820-354) by [**The Trustees of The British Museum**](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1873-0820-354). Submitted by [Nathalie Choubineh](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/nathalie.choubineh/ "User Page: Nathalie Choubineh"), published on 07 October 2020. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.