LARGE GREEK APULIAN BELL KRATER - TL TESTED
Apulian, Ca. 400-300 BC.
This beautiful red-figure bell terracotta krater with everted rim features a pedestal foot, a cylindrical stem, a bell-shaped body, and ear-shaped handles. One side depicts a seated aristocratic woman in a long chiton holding a phiale; she faces another chiton-clad standing woman with a mirror in her right hand. The other side depicts two laureate males clad in chlamydes facing each other. The scenes are framed by a lower geometric border and separated by palmettes below each handle. Kraters were ancient Greek vessels used for diluting wine with water; they usually stood on a tripod in the dining room during a symposium (drinking party), where wine was mixed. Ancient wine was considerably stronger than its modern counterparts and often had to be mixed with water, honey, and spices. Kraters were made of metal or pottery and were often painted or elaborately ornamented. In Homer's Iliad, the prize offered by Achilles for the footrace at Patroclus's funeral games was a silver krater of Sidonian workmanship. The Greek historian Herodotus describes many enormous and costly kraters dedicated at temples or used in religious ceremonies to hold libations. This piece has been precisely dated having undergone Thermo Luminescence analysis by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. Its TL certificate with full report will also accompany this lot.
Size: L:340mm / W:345mm; 3.2kg
Provenance: Property of a central London Gallery; formerly in a South English estate collection; acquired in the 1990s from Andre de Munter, Brussels, Belgium; previously in an old European collection.
Estimate: GBP 3000 - 6000