Leto as Mother: Representations of Leto with Apollo and Artemis in Attic Vase Painting of the Fifth Century B.C.

Abstract

This article examines representations of Apollo, Leto and Artemis engaged in the performance of libations in Attic vase paintings of the fifth century B.C. Previous studies have focused mainly on Apollo and Artemis, often neglecting the function that Leto serves in the iconography. The present study discusses the importance of Leto’s appearance among her children in this context and argues on the basis of literary, visual, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence that her inclusion in this particular iconographical motif promotes the concept of family and thereby reinforces the kourotrophic function that Apollo and Artemis had in Attica as deities in charge of the well-being of children.