Aryballos with swan and sphinx with lion head

Culture

Greek, Etruscan-Corinthian, c. 700 – 650 BC

Size

10,8 cm

Provenance

In Dutch collection since 2024. 

Ex private collection in Northern Germany, inherited through the mother from the grandfarther’s former collection. Acquired in the early 1980s on the Northern German art market. With German export license. 

Description

A rather large Etruscan-Corinthian globular aryballos with a sphinx body with lion head and a swan. 

An aryballos is a small, round vessel used in ancient Greece to hold perfumed oil or ointments. Athletes commonly used them in the gymnasium: they would carry an aryballos tied to a cord, pour out oil, and rub it on before exercise or bathing. The shape is usually globular or ovoid, with a narrow neck and small opening to control the flow of oil. 

Etrusco-Corinthian pottery refers to a style of painted vases produced in Etruria (modern-day Italy) between roughly 630 and 550 B.C.E. These vessels imitate the black-figure technique, shapes, and animal-style imagery of Greek Corinthian pottery.

Condition

Assembled from fragments, areas have been repaired professionally without using paint. 

Price

€ 650