In the Timaeus, the character Critias presents an account of a divine demiourgos who fashions the universe out of available raw materials. A demiourgos was a craftsman, literally a worker of things for the people. The patron god and goddess of craftspeople were Hephaestus and Athena. Here Hephaestus is completing the wondrous armor that the hero Achilles wil wear. Waiting to receive it is Achilles' goddess mother, Thetis. The vase on which this painting appears also has images of excellent human demiourgoi, in this case sculptors. For images of the sculptors forging and finishing statues, click on this link to a page in the fabulous Perseus collection. (Warning: some of the images involve nudity, so exercise caution as to where you are when you click this link.)