Description:

Ancient Greece, Mycenaean Period, Late Bronze Age II, ca. 1450 to 1200 BCE. A charming example of a hand-built pottery stirrup jar meticulously hand-painted with linear, lattice, and dotted designs, all in vibrant red pigment on a light beige ground. Resembling a modern teapot, the ancient vessel features a narrow, ring-shaped foot, a voluminous body, a broad, rounded shoulder, and 2 slender, flared spouts: a functional spout that juts out diagonally from the shoulder and a false spout that rises from the center of the vessel, flanked by a pair of elegantly arching handles. Tightly-spaced, horizontal bands embellish the body of the vessel and top of the false spout, while lattice motif decorates the shoulder. The interior of the functioning spout contains straining holes, suggesting that it may have once been removable to fill the vessel in ancient times. Size: 5.5" Diameter x 5.5" H (14 cm x 14 cm)

This period is so named for the palace at Mycenae, famed in Homeric legend as the opulent seat of King Agamemnon. Excavations at the palace at Mycenae revealed an elite and long-lasting society with a great deal of wealth. This extended to the workshops of artisans who produced pottery like this vessel both for use in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean world; shiploads of similar jars went out as far as the Levant and Spain, carrying oil, wine, and other commodities.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-New York, USA collection, 1980s

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#173890

  • Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration to one handle, spout, and base. Some areas of repainting and infill. Some areas of chipping and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation and nice remaining pigments.

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August 25, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
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