Lot 31A
Ancient Greece, Athens, ca. late 6th to early 5th century BCE. An elegant terracotta lekythos adorned with black figure decoration of 2 gods mounting a quadriga attended by Hermes and Dionysus - possibly intended as a marriage procession. The divine couple stands on the chariot, each draped in robes and facing one another as Dionysus stands behind the horses holding a rhyton with grape vines extending from him in both directions. Hermes leads the quadriga, dressed in winged boots and a petasos as he gestures with his left hand. Three rows of dots separated by horizontal striations embellish the top of the scene, while double reserved bands are featured below. A circle of rays stretches across the shoulder crowned by an additional row of dots that surround the vessel's narrow neck. Size: 2.25" Diameter x 7.5" H (5.7 cm x 19 cm); 8.25" H (21 cm) on included custom stand.
The style in which this lekythos is decorated bears a remarkable resemblance to the manner Haimon Painter, an anonymous black-figure vase-painter named after the subject of the Sphinx and her victim that he painted 4 times. The Haimon Painter is one of a group of prolific black-figure vase-painters specializing mostly in lekythoi, working at the same time as the early flowering of the finest red-figure vase-painters.
Lekythoi were used for storing oil used for a wide variety of purposes in the Classical World. While larger examples were usually designated for keeping olive oil, smaller more delicate examples were reserved for the bath to store precious unguents of sweet and floral aromas. Given the tall aspect of this piece, it was likely used to store olive oil for special gatherings.
Similar examples can be found at the British Museum (1863,0728.55, 1864,1007.176 and 1864,1007.1355), the Ashmoleon at Oxford (1892.36), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (41.162.240).
Provenance: ex-Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina; ex-private Chicago, Illinois, USA estate
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#183325
- Condition: Some minor chips to foot, rim, and shoulder with some small areas of repainting. Expected nicks and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact and excellent with good remains of painted decoration.
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