Kantharos. Greece, Gnathia, ca. 320-300 B.C.

Kantharos. Greece, Gnathia, ca. 320-300 BC.
Terracotta glazed in black and white ochre paint.
Provenance: private collection, acquired from the Berhard Pfeiffer Gallery, November 2014.
Similar examples: Art Institute of Chicago, at the Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A black ceramic and polychrome Gnathian kantharos.
Measurements: 14.6 cm (height).

This vessel is distinguished by its elaborate ornamentation: it has two vertical handles connecting the rim to the shoulder, with a thumb rest modeled as the knot of Heracles standing out on each. The base has three moldings, and the neck is decorated with a frieze of yellow ivy and berries on each side. The body, which is fluted, is topped at the top with a white band on each side, while the base of the handles has yellow rays topped by a horizontal band. Although the lower part of the body and the stem were left undecorated, a black band is visible surrounding the lower area; in addition, the reserved (unpainted) base still retains traces of an erased yellow ovule motif and a dark brown band.