Magna Graecia, Southern Italy, Eastern Apulia, Gnathian, ca. 370 to 360 BCE. A large wheel-thrown drinking vessel with a short concave foot, a bulbous body with a wide pinched neck, a flared rim, and an attached loop handle. The thistle mug is beautifully-adorned in the traditional Gnathian manner with the application of different paints directly onto the glazed blackware surface, the upper register detailed with a repeating white "v" motif and the lower register with a budded vine. A very faint layer of silvery iridescence covers the exterior surface. A lovely example of Gnathian-style pottery! Size: 4.55" H (11.6 cm).

Gnathia ware is named for the site where it was first discovered - the Apulian site of Egnathia. The black glaze ware is traditionally decorated with floral 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: private Carlton collection, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired between 1965 and 1980

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#128048

Age-commensurate surface wear, minor losses to foot, handle, body, and rim, with minor fading and loss to painted designs. Mineral deposits on both exterior and interior surfaces.