Haimon Painter - Three Amazons and Herakles - Walters 48241 - Left

Herakles is depicted on this black-figure lekythos with his usual attributes, the lion skin and the club, which he holds in his right hand, and a quiver. He is facing right, grasping an Amazon who tries to escape from him, though she turns her head to face him. There is an Amazon on each side of this duel. One runs away from Herakles, while the other runs toward his captive, as if coming to her aid. All three are similarly dressed; two carry spears; one has no shield.
Herakles' ninth labor for King Eurytheus required him to retrieve the girdle of the queen of the Amazons. While the queen at first willingly acceded to Herakles' request, the goddess Hera spread a rumor among the Amazons that Herakles intended to kidnap their queen; when the Amazons attacked him, Herakles killed her and made off with her girdle. This theme was a common subject on vases depicting the Amazons, and one of the most frequently recurring subjects on vases portraying Herakles and his labors. In vase-painting the Amazon queen is usually named Andromache (she is more often named Hippolyte in the literary evidence), and the girdle itself is usually not depicted until after the 6th century.