Greek Terracotta Askos

CIRCA 5TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.

6 1/4 in. (400 grams, 16 cm wide).

With an arching strap handle and a wide spout with everted rim; ellipsoid in plan with a long flat base.

Provenance

From a late Hampshire gentleman's collection, formed from the 1960s.

Literature

Cf. for an askos of similar shape Mayer-Emmerling, S., Vedder, U., Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Deutschland Band 4, Frankfurt, 1994, pl.57 no.5 (inv.2668).

Footnotes

The askos was an ancient Greek vessel used for pouring small quantities of oily liquids, used as an ointment container or to fill oil lamps. The modern name for this vessel is conventional; it was originally used for animal-skin wine bottles, as often seen on Dionysian-themed vase paintings, and is used in modern times to designate this vessel shape based on some morphological similarity.

CONDITION

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LOT 0594