Detail of the outside of an Attic black-figure cup depicting a Greek sailing ship, c.520...

The cup is decorated with two warships on each side. On each ship, a straight stem painted with an eye for good luck stands above the prow, whose ram is shaped like a boar's head. The helmsman is standing keeping a lookout. The coxswain is standing at the stern, which is elegantly curved like a swan's neck. The ladders are fastened horizontally. The ships are being followed by dolphins. Mermaids painted on the rinceaux near the handles complete the decoration. The artist perhaps intended a reference to the story of Ulysses and the mermaids from Homer's Odyssey.