Greek Apulian Blackware Pyxis
Circa 4th-3rd century B.C. Black-glazed rounded body with two upright loop-handles, raised base, keeled edge with a thickened disc rim. Cf. Sparkes, B., Talcott, L., Richter, G.M.A., The Athenian Agora, Vol. 12, Black and Plain Pottery of the 6th, 5th and 4th Centuries B.C., Athens, 1970, pl.43, pp.173 ff. (for various type of Pyxis). 143 grams, 10.8 cm wide (4 1/4 in.).

Ex P. A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old typed catalogue slip.

This pyxis was once fitted with a lid for cosmetics, powder or jewellery. Greek pottery from southern Italy is most easily identified by its glossy black finish, as seen here. It was the product of the Magna Graecia, especially in Apulia, a region in southern Italy populated by Greek colonists from the 8th century B.C. onwards, which imitated the artistic workshops of Attica and developed its own style.