Magna Graecia, Southern Italy, Greek colony of Apulia, ca. 4th century BCE. A stunning wine vessel of an elegant form with high arching handles having support struts and thumb spurs. The cylindrical body flares out to the rim and is set on a slender stem with a medial ridge and a stepped foot. Adding to this perfect form is the finely executed painted iconographic and decorative program. One side depicts the intricately detailed image of a woman, likely a maenad, shown facing left and holding an ancient Greek hand drum or tambourine known as a tympanum, while the other displays a nude winged Eros (Roman Cupid), Greek god of love and sex. Above these impressive scenes is a band of vertical striations decorating the rim. Size: 8.125" in diameter x 9.375" H (20.6 cm x 23.8 cm)

A kantharos (also cantharus) is an ancient cup form used for drinking/holding wine, possibly for rituals or ceremonial offerings, its shape most likely derived from a metalwork form. This piece is an iconic example of what is known as Type A - characterized by a deep bowl, a tall pedestal foot, and a beautiful pair of highly swung handles extending far above the lip of the vessel. Scholars believe that the kantharos was also an attribute of Dionysus, the god of wine who was also associated with fertility. Hence, in addition to being used during festive banquets, such vessels may have been used in ceremonial rituals to symbolize rebirth. Eros and the maenad shown on this example were frequent members of Dionysus' retinue, known as the Thiasus.

Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Greek vase painting was the red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 525 BCE and beloved by other artists of Magna Graecia. The red-figure technique allowed for much greater flexibility as opposed to the black-figure technique, for now the artist could use a soft, pliable brush rather than a rigid metal graver to delineate interior details, play with the thickness of the lines, as well as build up or dilute glazes to create chromatic effects. The painter would create figures by outlining them in the natural red of the vase, and then enrich these figural forms with black lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life. Beyond this, fugitive pigments made it possible for the artist to create additional layers of interest and detail as we see in this example.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: ex-Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, acquired before 2000

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#158603

TL holes on base, under top, inside handle, and under middle ridge. Repaired from several pieces with possible restoration and repainting to rim, handles, and body. Minor chips to side of body. A few nicks, scratches, and abrasions, commensurate with age and use.