Description:

Classical Antiquities. Greece, Athens, ca. late 6th to early 5th century BCE. A lovely black-figure skyphos, a deep-bowled drinking vessel with a concave round foot and twin upraised loop handles. The painted program includes a scene, depicted on both sides, with a horseman and attendant flanked by abstract palmettes. Horses and horsemen were favored iconographic elements in ancient Greece. With good pasture land at a premium, ownership of horses was reserved for the wealthy. They were used for hunting, racing, and war. A prominent illustration of this comes from the Iliad. Homer wrote of horses drawing chariots into war and being exchanged as gifts between high ranking people (to say nothing of the Trojan Horse!). What's more, during the 6th century BCE, the Hippeis class of citizens in Athens were required to own horses and serve in the cavalry. Size: 7.5" in diameter x 2.875" H (19 cm x 7.3 cm)

Provenance: private French collection of Serge Tomassi, acquired in 1970

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#127749

  • Condition: One small piece reattached to the rim, and a few surface scratches and nicks as shown.

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October 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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