Magna Graecia, South Italy, Apulia, Gnathian, ca. late 4th century BCE to 3rd century BCE. A magnificent Gnathian hand painted terracotta skyphos (deep wine glass), artfully decorated via fugitive yellow/gold pigmented motifs atop a black glaze. Flanked atop by two horizontal looped handles, its ovoid body tapers towards the base and is supported by a circular foot. This blackware vessel is topped with a delicately flared rim and adorned with a decorative program of multiple registers, including (from top to bottom): a golden pair of dotted lines separated by a single gold band with a small shape, perhaps a flower, on opposite sides, an incised line bounded by a second gold band, a repetitive vertical ribbed pattern that culminates just before the base with an incised line, exposed terracotta that extends onto the base, and a ring of golden dots and black glaze encompassing the base. This stunning skyphos is an excellent example of Gnathian pottery. Size: 4.25" L with handles x 2.875" W without handles x 3.5" H (10.8 cm x 7.3 cm x 8.9 cm)

Gnathia ware is named for the site where it was first discovered - the Apulian site of Egnathia. The black glaze ware is traditionally decorated with floral motifs in red, white, and/or yellow hues. Scholars believe that its production most likely was centered around Taras, with primary workshops in Egnathia and Canosa. The quantity and quality of Greek colonial Apulian potters increased significantly following the Peloponnesian War when Attic exports dramatically decreased. Apulian artistry demonstrates influences of Ionian (Athenian, Attic) conventions, as well as Doric (western colonial Greek) styles, with a palpable native Italian aesthetic.

Provenance: ex Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA acquired before 2000

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#158346

One handle has been restored from new clay and the attached area has been repainted. Normal surface wear to body with minor chips and scuffs to exterior commensurate with age.