Description

An attic black glazed lekythos with a disk foot and the shoulder painted with three linked palmettes.

Black-figure pottery is one of the most iconic styles of ancient Greek vase painting, and it played a central role in Greek art from roughly the 7th to the early 5th century BCE. Black-figure pottery is a technique where figures and motifs are painted in a slip that turns black during firing, while the background remains the natural red color of the clay.  Details were incised into the black slip with a sharp tool, allowing the red clay beneath to show through, creating fine lines for anatomy, clothing folds, or decorative patterns. Additional colors like white and red could also be added for details (e.g., for women’s skin, clothing, or decorative elements). It was used on almost all vase types: amphorae, kraters, kylixes (drinking cups), lekythoi (oil flasks), and aryballoi (small perfume bottles).

Positive Thermoluminescence-test.

Culture

Greek, Attic

Dating

c. 400 B.C.

Size

24 cm

Provenance

Dutch collection. Bought at Bonhams Auction in London.

Max Klein (1905-1991) Collection, Canada. Acquired from 1970s to early 1980s and thence by descent. 

Condition

Good condition, neck and mouth restored and repainted black.