Greek, Attic, 5th century BCE. A hydria of a classic form with a voluminous piriform body, twin upraised handles emerging from the shoulder and one handle on the side opposite the figural scene joining the upper neck to the shoulder, a tubular neck rising to a wide flared rim with a convex edge, all upon a concave round foot. The artist who created this vessel has used the red-figure technique to adorn the rim and neck with abstract motifs and, on one side, to create an image of a nude, youthful man holding a staff beside a garland. The man stands in a sensual pose, his hips thrust outward, one leg bent, one hand resting on his muscular hip. Size: 5.15" W x 5.85" H (13.1 cm x 14.9 cm)

Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Greek vase painting was the red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 525 BCE and beloved by artists throughout the Greek world. The red-figure technique allowed for much greater flexibility as opposed to the black-figure technique, for now the artist could use a soft, pliable brush rather than a rigid metal graver to delineate interior details, play with the thickness of the lines, as well as build up or dilute glazes to create chromatic effects. The painter would create figures by outlining them in the natural red of the vase, and then enrich these figural forms with black lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life.

Provenance: ex-private T.S. collection, San Diego County, California, USA, acquired between 25 and 40 years ago

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#140616

Foot has been reattached. Small chip from rim. Otherwise in good condition with nicely preserved motifs and a faint iridescence on the black surfaces. Light wear commensurate with age.