Magna Graecia, Southern Italy, Ignazia, Gnathian Teano Ware, ca. 4th century BCE. An elegant pottery guttus created in a workshop in the Apulia region of southern Italy where potters are known for applying figurative pigments to their pieces. Boasting a lustrous black surface, this gorgeous vessel presents a squat, apple-shaped body, a gently sloped shoulder, a dramatically narrow neck, and a flared spout, all supported by a discoid foot. The ancient dish is beautifully adorned with incised designs filled with cream and peach pigment, including a horizontal register of vegetal motif around the edge of the shoulder and an abstract geometric band surrounding the base of the neck flanking additional circular and floral patterns dotting the sloped shoulder. Gutti, such as this choice example, were typically used for storing oil for oil lamps. Size: 4" in diameter x 4.25" H (10.2 cm x 10.8 cm)

Gnathia ware is named for the site where it was first discovered - the Apulian site of Egnathia (also Gnatia, Egnatia, Ignazia). The black glaze ware is traditionally decorated with floral and other decorative motifs in red, white, or yellow hues. Scholars believe that its production most likely was centered around Taras, with primary workshops in Egnathia and Canosa. The quantity and quality of Greek colonial Apulian potters increased significantly following the Peloponnesian War when Attic exports dramatically decreased. Apulian artistry demonstrates influences of Ionian (Athenian, Attic) conventions, as well as Doric (western colonial Greek) styles, with a palpable native Italian aesthetic.

Provenance: ex-Edgar L. Owen Gallery, Hopatcong, New Jersey, USA, acquired before 2010

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#162616

Repairs to neck, rim, and handle with restoration over break lines. Two miniscule chips to base. Expected light nicks and abrasions as shown, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining pigments.