Greek black-glaze oinochoe, Athens, c.450 BC
Terracotta
Height 12cm, diameter 8.6cm, width including the handle 9.6cm
10217
Further images
The jug has a low-arching handle joined from the back of the trefoil lip to the broad, downward-sloping shoulders. A very fine incised line delineating the foot from the body....
The jug has a low-arching handle joined from the back of the trefoil lip to the broad, downward-sloping shoulders. A very fine incised line delineating the foot from the body. The outer edge of the flanged pad base and the flat underside are reserved, with remains of a red wash. The front of the lip restored, overall the glaze in particularly good condition.
A refined example of its type, this vase belongs to the earlier group of shoulder oinochoi, as distinguished by the sloping shoulder.
The oinochoe (pl. oinochoi) constitutes a very large category of vessels which had many everyday uses, acting as a means for containing and pouring a wide variety of liquids, including oils, wine and water. The shoulder oinochoe has a low foot, a short neck, a low arching handle and most often a trefoil lip. The body has no decoration, though later examples sometimes have ribbed walls. The glaze continues inside the neck of the jug, but the base is always reserved. The earlier examples in this class, which date from the late sixth to early fifth centuries BC, have a more sloping shoulder than those developed around 450BC, where the shoulder is more developed.
A refined example of its type, this vase belongs to the earlier group of shoulder oinochoi, as distinguished by the sloping shoulder.
The oinochoe (pl. oinochoi) constitutes a very large category of vessels which had many everyday uses, acting as a means for containing and pouring a wide variety of liquids, including oils, wine and water. The shoulder oinochoe has a low foot, a short neck, a low arching handle and most often a trefoil lip. The body has no decoration, though later examples sometimes have ribbed walls. The glaze continues inside the neck of the jug, but the base is always reserved. The earlier examples in this class, which date from the late sixth to early fifth centuries BC, have a more sloping shoulder than those developed around 450BC, where the shoulder is more developed.
Provenance
Colonel Norman Colville, MC (1893–1974), Penheale, UK; thence by descent