Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 400 BC to 300 BC imensions: 8" (20.3cm) wide Collection: Classical Antiquities Style: Apulian Medium: Terracotta

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 400 BC to 300 BC imensions: 8" (20.3cm) wide Collection: Classical Antiquities Style: Apulian Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Before the modern advents of trains and automobiles, trade between civilizations concentrated around the Mediterranean moved foremost by sea. While many bulk commodities such  More »

Before the modern advents of trains and automobiles, trade between civilizations concentrated around the Mediterranean moved foremost by sea. While many bulk commodities such as timber and stone could be loaded directly aboard a ship with little preparation, other commodities such as spices, wine, and grain needed to be packed in individual containers for transport both at sea and on land and to prolong their life span. Pottery was first created in order to fulfill these practical needs. Over time, the art form evolved from large, unadorned commercial transport vessels to refined, specialized works in elegant shapes used to hold precious substances such as perfume or oils.An entire retinue of terracotta vessels dedicated to the rites of the dinner table began to appear. These pieces were based on the luxurious bronze and silver vessels that could only be afforded by the wealthy elite and were decorated with fanciful natural motifs and painted scenes of everyday life and celebrated myths. These wares were of such beauty that they themselves became prized commodities and were traded throughout the Mediterranean world; perhaps even for the very substances they were created to contain. These works are individually classified by their shapes and their form was inherently linked to their function, be it preparation, dispensation, or consumption.The form of the oinochoe was designed for pouring wine from a krater into a drinking vessel. Covered with a luminous black glaze possessing the sheen and luster of metal, this example has a trefoil mouth and a single handle. The body has been embellished with a series of engraved vertical lines leading from the shoulder to the base. Otherwise, this vessel is completely unadorned. - (CK.0011)   « Less

Painted with a delicate but sure hand, this exquisite vase dates to the transitional period between Archaic and Classical Greece. Originally meant to hold oil or wine, it was  More »

Painted with a delicate but sure hand, this exquisite vase dates to the transitional period between Archaic and Classical Greece. Originally meant to hold oil or wine, it was exported in antiquity to meet the demands of an eager market in Italy. On one side it depicts the wine god Dionysus holding a drinking horn and attended by two dancing Maenads. On the other is a scene from the mythical Trojan War, very possibly Priam ransoming Hector's body from Achilles. Centuries ago, this lovely amphora was prized by its owner; when we hold it in our hands today, we share that emotion with a vanished age. - (PF.1293)   « Less

This Apulian pottery trefoil-lipped oinochoe features touches of white pigment. A youth leans on a stick, holding a sash in one hand. Split palmette, rosettes, and vine leaf  More »

This Apulian pottery trefoil-lipped oinochoe features touches of white pigment. A youth leans on a stick, holding a sash in one hand. Split palmette, rosettes, and vine leaf patterns enhance the form. - (PF.0016)   « Less

A symphony of graceful, flowing movement, this running woman is perhaps a Maenad ("the possessed"), one of the female followers of Dionysus. Looking at this exquisite vessel,  More »

A symphony of graceful, flowing movement, this running woman is perhaps a Maenad ("the possessed"), one of the female followers of Dionysus. Looking at this exquisite vessel, we imagine some flesh-and-blood woman long ago whirling to the beat of her tambourine and seized with the ecstasy of the god. In the presence of this lovely work of art we are transported through time to a vanished world full of color, sound and motion. If we close our eyes, the dancer comes alive and whirls round and round in the grip of Dionysiac pleasure. - (PF.0020)   « Less

This beautiful vessel once held wine, and was eventually buried as a tomb offering. On one side a youth is flanked by two maidens, one of who places a wreath on his head. On  More »

This beautiful vessel once held wine, and was eventually buried as a tomb offering. On one side a youth is flanked by two maidens, one of who places a wreath on his head. On the other, three youths converse with each other. One of them holds a strigil, used in the gymnasium to scrape oil off the skin. Though these are only painted images, we feel they offer us a glimpse of the vanished world of antiquity. This vase, which delights us as it surely did its original owners, links us directly with that world. - (PF.0024)   « Less

This Apulian pottery oinochoe features touches of white and yellow pigment. A woman sits on rocks and holds a lekanis and wreath. Framing the seated woman is a scroll and  More »

This Apulian pottery oinochoe features touches of white and yellow pigment. A woman sits on rocks and holds a lekanis and wreath. Framing the seated woman is a scroll and rosette pattern. - (PF.0026)   « Less

On one side of this splendid krater, originally used for the mixing and serving of wines, a young woman and a nude man face each other across a funerary stele. This may  More »

On one side of this splendid krater, originally used for the mixing and serving of wines, a young woman and a nude man face each other across a funerary stele. This may represent a scene of sacrifice at a tomb, where the young man personifies the spirit of the deceased, or it perhaps depicts the mythological meeting of Orestes and Electra at the tomb of their father, Agamemnon. The other side shows two youths conversing. Such vessels were the luxury ware of the Classical age, cherished in life and buried for the eternal pleasure of their owners. As we delight in its beauty today, we share that feeling with people who lived many centuries ago. - (PF.0052)   « Less

The artist has tamed the delicate and graceful patterns of nature--fruits, flowers, leaves and waves--to adorn this exquisite vessel with a controlled but lively hand. Surely  More »

The artist has tamed the delicate and graceful patterns of nature--fruits, flowers, leaves and waves--to adorn this exquisite vessel with a controlled but lively hand. Surely those who gripped its handles centuries ago must have delighted as we do in its pleasing shape and flowing decoration. For a moment, we are linked directly to that distant classical afternoon when wine flowed from its depths. - (PF.0285)   « Less

The image of the winged God of Love, Eros (known to the Romans as Cupid), carrying gifts, suggests that this was originally part of a bride’s dowry. The lush, baroque  More »

The image of the winged God of Love, Eros (known to the Romans as Cupid), carrying gifts, suggests that this was originally part of a bride’s dowry. The lush, baroque painting style is typical of the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia (the pre-Roman name for southern Italy), which were famous for their appreciation of life’s sensual pleasures. Today, it serves as a lovely reminder of the splendor of the Classical Age and of the timeless power of love that flies on swift wings. - (PF.0845)   « Less