matter favours the mythological over the historical (the birth of Erichthonios is a recurring theme) and given that he worked at the height of the Peloponnesian War have the air of escapist fantasy. The Meidias Painter’s name vase and chef-d’œuvre belonged originally to the first collection of Sir William Hamilton. This vase featured prominently in his portrait by Joshua Reynolds and proved to be a significant influence on the Neoclassical movement. It also took pride of place in d’Hancarville’s folio album Collection of Etruscan Greek, Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Honourable William Hamilton, vol. I, 1766 (plates 127-130). It was reproduced on Wedgwood jasperware, on furniture and in paintings, and extravagantly praised by Winckelmann as “the finest and most beautiful drawing in the world”. It was acquired by the British Museum in 1772. References Sources H. Nicole: Meidias et le style fleuri, 1908. J. D. Beazley: Attic Red-figured Vases in American Museums, 1918. W. Hahland: Vasen um Meidias, 1930. G. Becatti: Meidias: Un manierista antico, 1947. L. Burn: The Meidias Painter, 1987 J. Boardman: Athenian Red Figure Vases, the Classical Period, 1989. T. Mannack: The Late Mannerists in Athenian Vase Painting, 2001. External links Hamilton’s Meidias hydria at the British Museum 5th-century BC births Ancient Greek vase painters Anonymous artists of antiquity 5th-century BC Athenians Year of birth unknown