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LOT 0084
Etruscan Impasto 'Spiral' Amphora
7TH CENTURY B.C.
6 1/2 in. (343 grams, 16.5 cm).
Comprising a bulbous body and a short neck with everted rim, two strap handles with incised striations continuing in an inverted V-shape beneath the handles; on each side of the body a large double spiral flanked by five curving lines, a stylised bird above.
ProvenanceEx Fortuna, Gallery for Ancient Art (Zurich, Kirchgasse 31) Basel, 7 April 1984.
Private collection, Bern, Switzerland.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Jucker, I., Israel Museum catalogue, Jerusalem, 1991, nos.219-223, for similar vase shapes and decoration.
FootnotesWith the arrival of the Greeks (775 B.C. at Pithekoussai, 750 B.C. at Cumae), a clear technical advancement in ceramic production was observed: impasto vessels began to show more varied patterns, were fired at higher temperatures, and were eventually replaced by wheel-made pottery in the Greek style. Despite growing populations, there remained a significant demand for this more 'old-fashioned' yet technically refined pottery. Note on the term impasto (Italian): in painting, it refers to the thick application of paint (a textured, paste-like technique). In ceramics, it refers to a thick layer of slip (a watered suspension of purified clay) applied before firing, which results in a homogenous, matte-glossy surface after firing.
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AUCTIONS:
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