On the main side of the krater, there is Orestes in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, where he asked refuge to be purified for the matricide. He sits on a stepped base, resting his back on the omphalos ("the navel") of the earth and holding his sword in his right hand. Behind him stands the god Apollo, holding a laurel branch and a piglet, a sign of atonement and purification for the unholy act of murder. On the right, the goddess Artemis watches the events. On the left, the Furies are depicted as three female figures with long transparent chitons tied crosswise across their chests and embades (boots). The shadow of Klytaimnestra awakens the two Furies from their deep sleep to pursue her son.