Lot 13
There is a reserve on this lot... Ancient Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. 5th century BCE. A magnificent pottery column krater adorned with elaborate red-figure decoration on the body and a row of black-figure confronting lions and wild boars along the rim. Boasting an elegant silhouette, the ancient vessel presents one side adorned with 3 draped ephebes in discussion. One to the right defiantly stands with one hand on his hip as he uses a stick or staff to gesture on the ground. The middle male, confronts him, standing profile, facing right, while the third at the left holds out one hand as though reasoning between the two. Conversely, the other side portrays a horse-riding lesson, showing a nude youth mounted atop a rearing horse that faces a draped bearded figure with a staff. Each figural scene is framed by a pair of dotted, vertical striped on each side and a horizontal band of rays above. The thick neck of the vessel is further embellished by a strip of hanging lotus buds, and the black-figure beasts on the rim are enhanced by white fugitive pigment details. Size: 9.3" L x 7.5" W x 9.7" H (23.6 cm x 19 cm x 24.6 cm)
Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Greek vase painting was the red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 525 BCE and beloved by other artists of Magna Graecia. The red-figure technique allowed for much greater flexibility as opposed to the black-figure technique, for now the artist could use a soft, pliable brush rather than a rigid metal graver to delineate interior details, play with the thickness of the lines, as well as build up or dilute glazes to create chromatic effects. The painter would create figures by outlining them in the natural red of the vase, and then enrich these figural forms with black lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life. Beyond this, fugitive pigments made it possible for the artist to create additional layers of interest and detail as we see in this example.
The column krater, a large vessel used for mixing wine and water, gets its name from the column-like handles. It is said that the form first emerged with Corinthian examples in the late 7th century BCE. Athenian potters created them quite regularly from the first half of the 6th century until the third quarter of the 5th century BCE.
A similar Attic red-figured column krater of slightly larger form (14.5 inches high) hammered $100,000 (now equivalent to $130,515.16) at Christie's New York on October 25, 2016 ("Antiquities" Live Auction 12257, lot 72).
Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection acquired before 2000
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#190939
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Condition:
- Professionally repaired and restored with repainting over break lines; all done very well with most difficult to notice. Some chips to rim, as well as some nicks and abrasions in areas, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, nice presentation with clear imagery and good remaining detail.
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