Apulian / Gnathian Blackware Ribbed Skyphos

Magna Graecia, South Italy, Apulia, Gnathian, ca. late 4th to 3rd century BCE. A magnificent Gnathian hand-painted terracotta skyphos (deep wine glass), artfully decorated via white and gold-hued motifs atop a black glaze. Flanked atop by two horizontal looped handles, its hemispherical body tapers towards the base and is supported by a circular, tiered foot. This blackware vessel displays an annular rim, gently flared inward, and is adorned by vertical ribs along its body. The flat face just above the ribbing boasts an attractive decorative band of white and gold pigment on both sides, each featuring a horizontal feather-like pattern divided at the center by an X design. The stepped foot is additionally embellished by a ring of bare terracotta and a band of white and gold-hued dots. This stunning skyphos is an excellent example of Gnathian pottery! Size: 4.75" in diameter x 3.375" H (12.1 cm x 8.6 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: private New York, USA collection; ex-private collection, acquired in the 1960s and imported to the United States in the late 1980s

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#164978
Condition Report: Repair and restoration to rim and 1 handle. Some light nicks in areas, as well as minor chipping of paint. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining pigments and nice iridescence on interior.