Askos with stirrup handle. Mycenae, Greece, ca. 1300 BC.

Askos with stirrup handle. Mycenae, Greece, ca. 1300 BC.
Ceramics.
State of preservation: superficial wear, engobe losses and concretions typical of its age.
Measurements: 10 cm high; 13.5 cm long.

Mycenaean ceramic askos with stirrup handle, characteristic typology of the Aegean during the Late Bronze Age. Its low and globular body, the arched handle and the small pouring mouth correspond to a form destined to the storage and controlled pouring of liquids, probably perfumed oils or other valuable substances.

The piece retains traces of painted decoration in reddish tones, visible in concentric bands and linear motifs. Despite the superficial wear, it maintains the formal elegance and compositional balance typical of Mycenaean ceramics, where the functionality of the vessel is combined with a clear ornamental intention.

Due to its age, morphology and cultural context, it is a representative testimony of the technical and aesthetic sophistication of the Mycenaean ceramic workshops.