Ancient Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. 5th century BCE. A lovely Attic lekythos (oil vessel) of a traditional form with a slender, tall body, a tubular neck rising to a flattened rim, and a single handle joining neck to shoulder, all standing upon a tiered round foot. The exterior walls are extensively decorated with a series of black-figure palmettes. The shoulder is decorated with fretted lines. The black glaze has developed a silvery iridescence. Size: 2.1" W x 5.2" H (5.3 cm x 13.2 cm)

Lekythoi were used for storing oil used for a wide variety of purposes in the Classical World. While larger examples were usually designated for keeping olive oil, smaller, more delicate examples like this one were reserved for the bath to store precious unguents of sweet and floral aromas. This beautiful vessel was most likely created for an elegant lady's toilette.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#133105

Neck has been restored from new clay and painted. Otherwise all original and in nice condition, with fine remaining pigment.