Kantharos, terracotta, Ancient Greece (Magna Graecia – Apulia or Campania), 3rd century BC
1200,00 zł
A South Italian kantharos, a wine-drinking vessel, classified in Hellenistic pottery typology as a variant with vertical loop handles and stamped decoration on the base. The object dates from the Hellenistic period, specifically the 3rd century BC. The vessel was crafted using a potter’s wheel from rich, sorted clay in one of the workshops of Magna Graecia, located in Apulia or Campania.
Rim diameter: 8.5 cm
Width with handles: 13.5 cm
Height: 8.8 cm
Foot diameter (base): 5.3 cm
Weight: 190 g
Ancient Kantharos
The vessel's morphology includes a bulbous, deep body with an S-shaped profile in its lower part, transitioning into a wide, bell-shaped neck that terminates in a smooth rim. The body rests on a distinct, high ring foot with horizontal steps. On the underside of the vessel, within the ring foot, a conical clay thickening is visible, a remnant from cutting the body from the potter's wheel. The underside of the ring foot is covered with bands of black gloss separated by a groove painted red, as is one of the external steps of the base.
The vessel is equipped with two symmetrical, vertical loop handles of trapezoidal cross-section, which emerge from the lower part of the belly and connect to the rim, forming horizontal, flattened thumb-rests at their highest point, extending outwards. Inside, the bottom of the bowl is adorned with four symmetrically impressed stamps arranged in a cross pattern, depicting stylized, elongated palmettes with distinct ribbing, encircled by a concentric band of fine rouletted incisions made with a toothed wheel before firing. The vessel's surface is covered with black gloss, which on the exterior and the underside of the belly has undergone advanced, natural erosion, flaking, and secondary discoloration to grey-beige and light brown tones. The interior of the bowl retains its original, uniform black color with a few pinpoint losses of coating and mineral deposits. The rim shows one old chip and a vertical hairline crack in the neck, which does not affect the object's structural stability. The vessel is preserved in its entirety, without losses, plaster additions, or reconstructive interventions, which is rare for material of this class.
| Weight | 0,190 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8,5 × 13,5 × 8,8 cm |
| Type |
Drinking vessel |
| Form |
Kantharos |
| State of preservation |
The vessel is preserved in its entirety, without losses, plaster additions, or reconstructive interventions, which is rare for material of this class. |
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