LOT 0082

Etruscan Oinochoe with Tongue Frieze

7TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.

11 in. (1.04 kg, 28 cm).

Bulbous in profile with a high, double-ribbed handle from the trefoil mouth to the shoulder; carinated collar above frieze of radiating tongues in glaze on the shoulder; two wavy bands on the neck, lines on the belly in opaque white.

Ex Prof. A., Basel, Switzerland; thence by descent.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13535-263127.

Cf. similar oinochoe in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 96.9.93.

Greek influence in the Etruscan world emerged during the Orientalizing period with the introduction of wine, likely an Eastern variety, following the tradition of spiced Syro-Phoenician wines that had been significant in the preceding era. This involved not merely the importation of the product itself, but also the introduction and subsequent local production of the associated ceramic vessels used for its consumption, such as this oinochoe. This is significant, given that the banquet custom and the ritual of the symposium,in which participants reclined while dining, would not emerge in Etruria until later.