Greek black-glaze two-handled mug, Athens, c.450-400 BC
Terracotta
Height: 9.2cm, diameter of cup: 10cm, width across the handles: 14.7cm
11152
Further images
The mug has a cylindrical body that swells towards the base, curving inwards to a delicate ridge above the raised, moulded foot. The two ring handles are quadruple-reeded and the...
The mug has a cylindrical body that swells towards the base, curving inwards to a delicate ridge above the raised, moulded foot. The two ring handles are quadruple-reeded and the rim everted. The underside and resting surface reserved, covered in a red wash, and decorated with a series of concentric circles of varying widths with a central dot. Recomposed from fragments, one handle with a section of restoration.
Two-handled mugs are far less common than their single-handled counterparts; they appear to be experimental, with only a few forms appearing repeatedly. The body of this example is remarkably similar to that of the sessile kantharos in this catalogue, but it is the distinctive ring handles which have led us to calling it a mug.
This is an extremely rare form, for which we have not found an exact parallel.
Two-handled mugs are far less common than their single-handled counterparts; they appear to be experimental, with only a few forms appearing repeatedly. The body of this example is remarkably similar to that of the sessile kantharos in this catalogue, but it is the distinctive ring handles which have led us to calling it a mug.
This is an extremely rare form, for which we have not found an exact parallel.
Provenance
Private collection, JapanPrivate collection, Montreal, Canada; acquired Sotheby's, 5th June 1999
Charles Ede Ltd, London, UK; acquired 2nd April 2014
Private collection, Wiltshire, UK; acquired from the above 20th June 2014