Classical Greece, Mycenae, ca. 14th century BCE. This jar is an unusually large and rare example of a Mycenaen stirrup jar. It is made from terracotta and decorated with classic Mycenaean banded lines and leaf/vine motifs. Its stirrup handle has a spiral painted on it, while the completely intact spout has evidence for paint but is coated in a thick patina that makes it difficult to discern what the pattern might have been. Stirrup jars are named for the stirrup shape that the handles form around the false neck. These jars were designed to be easy to carry and designed not to spill, as well as being easy to stow on board ships. The stirrups would also have provided a place to affix any kind of label as to contents or price; the spout would have been stopped up, probably with a coating of pitch or gypsum. The neck of the spout is thin to control the flow of the liquid within. Some authors have suggested that the designs on them denote their location -- for example, jars depicting octupi may represent trade goods taken from the island of Crete during the Mycenaean period. Terracotta stirrup jars first appeared in Crete in the 16th century BCE and became popular with the Mycenaeans in the 14th century BCE after they conquered Minoan Crete. During the 14th century BCE, they were the most produced pottery type in Mycenae. Stirrup jars were most often used to store wine and oil and were crucial to trade in the Aegean. For example, 19 stirrup jars have been recovered from the Uluburun shipwreck, which is dated to the 14th century BCE and occurred off the coast of Turkey, and which contained products from nine or ten different cultures. Museum collections around the world include ancient Greek stirrup jars: the British Museum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty, and many others. Size: At its widest, the jar is 10" in diameter. It is 12" (1') tall.

Provenance: Ex-private G. McDonald collection

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#109887

The jar is intact and quite excellent with deep earthen patina in places. Where there is not patina, the artwork is clear and sharp. There is one smallish stable pressure crack that does not detract from this magnificent piece in the body.