This is an adorable piece of pottery. As an askos, it would have traditionally been used for pouring oil. However, this vessel has taken on the untraditional form of a pig. The snout served as a spout while the oil would have been loaded through the mouth at the top. There is a small ring handle on the side. The pig’s belly is decorated with a wavy incised line and painted white ivy leaves. White paint is also used to depict the alert eyes and brows. The little curly tail and the pointed erect ears reveal the attention the potter paid to naturalistic details. While pottery and functional vessels often took the form of animals, few are quite so entirely successful. In the end, this is not a pouring jar in the shape of a pig; but a pig in the form of a pouring jar. - (PF.5555)

Antiquities
Ancient Greek