God on Board: Zeus the Saviour, the Stern and the Stylis on a 4th-century BC red-figure Hydria from Ancient Capua (Campania, Italy).

A red-figure hydria from Capua in Badisches Landesmuseum (Karlsruhe, Germany) depicts a young man and a woman standing next to a ship. This article examines the iconographic details that allow us to recognize a farewell scene next to the stern of the ship. The importance of the ship's stern in governing a voyage is emphasized by the stylis, a tall rod symbolizing the presence on board of the god who protected navigation. On this Campanian artefact of the 4th century BC, Zeus the Saviour is in fact evoked by the inscription painted on a tablet fixed on the rod itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]