Greek Attic White Ground Lekythos, ex-Bonhams
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Greek Attic White Ground Lekythos, ex-Bonhams

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Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. mid 5th century BCE. A slender cylindrical vessel with a pronounced, flat foot, a thin neck rising to a flared, flat rim, a small strap handle joining neck to shoulder, and a tapered body that was once decorated with complex iconography, some of which is still visible, most notably a Greek key motif immediately below the shoulder. Lekythos vases were among the various offerings and monuments paying tribute to the deceased in Athenian cemeteries. They traditionally held oil and were decorated in the white ground technique from the middle until the end of the fifth century BCE. The term white ground relates to the light slip coating on the body and shoulder of the vase. Upon this background, motifs were drawn in outline and then hand painted in rich colors. Size: 3.15″ W x 9″ H (8 cm x 22.9 cm)

Condition: Handle and one side of the body have been repaired, with no overpainting. Nice iridescent patina on the black pigment on the mouth, handle, and foot.

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex-Bonhams London Antiquities Auction, 8 May, 2013, part of lot 36; ex-Hans Henningsen collection, Copenhagen, Denmark, acquired in the 1950s

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