Classical World, Italy, Etrusco-Corinthian, ca. 630 to 540 BCE. A near-miniature aryballos of an elegant form with an inverted piriform body, a tubular neck, a flat rim, and a single strap handle joining rim to shoulder. The vase is painted via the black-figure technique with a decorative program that consists of slender, leaf-like tongues on the shoulder, rim, and lower body, elegant bands outlining the narrow spout and base - and most prominently, a central register of incised, nested scale motifs surrounded by pairs of striations above and below. This vessel would have been used for storing precious scented oils for a lady's toilette or possibly medicine. The scale pattern is classic Etruscan, but Etrusco-Corinthian pottery was an adaptation of the Corinthian style, produced mainly at Vulci, Caere, and Tarquinia. It was inspired by the intensification of trade between Etruria, Greece, and the Near East. A very early and attractive example! Size: 4.375" H (11.1 cm); 5.375" H (13.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#137828

Handle reattached. Normal surface wear with scuffs commensurate with age. Some possible overpainting to bands above lower register and upper/lower edges of central register - but nicely done.