Amphora-situla. Magna Graecia, Campania, 4th century BC.
Ceramics.
Provenance Private collection, Chartres, France.
Conservation: Intact.
Measurements: 33.5 cm high.
This Greek amphora is decorated using the red-figure technique. The two figures may represent Apollo and Artemis respectively. Between them are plant compositions based on palmettes. The red-figure technique consisted of painting the motifs on the piece while it was still wet, using a transparent varnish which, when fired, acquired an intense black hue. The motifs were therefore invisible before firing, which meant that the painters had to work entirely from memory, unable to see their previous work. Once the piece was fired, the unglazed areas remained with the reddish hue of the clay, while the glazed, "painted" areas took on a dense, glossy black colour.