Figure of a dove. Canosa workshop, IV-III centuries B.C.

Figure of a dove. Canosa workshop, 4th-3rd century BC.
Brown clay and covered with a white/chalky pink layer. Provenance: Samarcande Gallery, Paris; Private collection J. Grall, France, acquired in Paris in 1981.
Measurements: 13 x 18,5 cm.

The bird, with a cylindrical body and spread wings, gives off an elegant and soft air quite characteristic of Canosa's productions. The perforation under the body indicates that it was part of a larger ensemble called "plastique", probably a vase.

Canosa "plastique" vases are a highly distinctive type of ancient funerary pottery, originating from the Apulia region of southern Italy (Magna Grecia), and named after the town of Canosa di Puglia (ancient Canusium).

The term "plastique" (plastic) refers to its most characteristic feature: the intensive use of sculptural elements or applied decorations in relief that are added to the body of the vase.