Ancient Greek Ceramic Almond-shaped amphoriskos H: 9.5 cm

Almond-shaped amphoriskos Greek 4th century BC Pottery´ Length 9. 5 cm PROVENANCE: Swiss private collection. 1980. Previously acquired at public auction. CONDITION: Intact. Good condition. No restorations or repaints. DESCRIPTION: This base in the form of an amphora has two handles connected from the neck to the shoulder. This form is known as an amphoriskos. The body of the recipient faithfully imitates the shell of an almond, with a pointed end and a coarse skin, with small dents made in the clay before the baking. A flask such as this would have contained perfumed almond oil and would presumably have acted as a rather lavish votive offering. Almond vases appeared as a form from around 400 BC, and seemingly, He died out after a century. The most common form of almond vase was that of an amphoriskos, like the present example; however there are a few that have the single handles of lekythoi. Molds for this type of vessel have been found at excavations in the Athenian Agora; the metallic quality of the glaze and the red color of the clay also point to this vase's origin in an Athenian workshop. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested. This process could take between 1 and 2 months.