Painted terracotta
Greece, 5th century BC
Black figure detailing
Used to keep olive oil and typical grave goods
Height: 15.5 and 19.5 cm
Provenance: Ex collection Erich Maria Remarque; acquired at Sotheby’s on 13/12/1977, Lot no.85; thereafter German private collection
A typical example of Attic grave goods from the 5th century BC of excellent provenance

These two Attic lekythoi date back to the 5th century BC. They are of typical form featuring a piriform body, a slender, concave-sided neck and a bell-shaped mouth. Vessels of this type were used to hold olive oil and were typical grave goods of antiquity.

The small vase shows very fine black-figure and incised detailing depicting a Dionysian procession with horses, dancing satyrs and ivy trails. The scene is framed by a meander motif above and twin red-bands beneath. The large vase also shows black-figure and incised detailing depicting a Dionysian procession including dancing satyrs. A single black band forms the groundline.



Both lekythoi have a prominent provenance. They were previously in the collection of the German author Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970). The writer is world-renowned for his novel ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, first published in 1928.



The lekythoi are in a good state of preservation with signs of wear consistent with age. Both vases shows some areas of restoration. The small vase measures 15.5 cm in height, the larger vase measures 19.5 cm.