GREEK GNATHIAN WARE LEKYTHOS
Ca. 400-300 BC.
A fine wheel-thrown pottery lekythos with a low ring foot, a tall ovoid body, a discoid rim with a funnel mouth, and an applied arching handle. Lustrous jet-black glaze covers much of the vessel, with only an area beneath the foot displaying the original buffware colour. This elegant vessel is further embellished with a decorative band around the cylindrical neck and a lower body, and the shoulder features a dove with a branch motif alternated with vine clusters. Lekythos is a type of vessel used by the ancient Greeks to store perfumed oils intended for body care. The lekythoi were also used as funerary vases. The characteristic shape of lekythos is generally cylindrical (depending on the style of the period), thin, with a single handle and a small neck, to control the oil dosage.
Size: L:193mm / W:87mm ; 288g
Provenance: Private collection, London; acquired NYC collection, ex. Fortuna Fine Arts, NYC.
Estimate: GBP 600 - 1200