Apulian Red-Figure Lekythos w/ Lady of Fashion

Magna Graecia, South Italic Colonies, Apulia, ca. 340 to 325 BCE. A wheel-thrown lekythos with an egg-shaped body atop a grooved discoid base, a rounded shoulder which tapers to a corseted cylindrical neck, a flared and in-folded rim, and a high-arching handle joining neck and shoulder. The black-glazed exterior boasts areas of red-figure artistry, including a 'lady of fashion' with a kekryphalos hairstyle, spiraling tendrils, and a stylized palmette beneath the handle. Faint silvery iridescence has formed over some of the glazed areas. Size: 2.25" in diameter x 4.25" H (5.7 cm x 10.8 cm)

Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Greek vase painting was the red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 525 BCE and beloved by other artists of Magna Graecia. 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 pigment to suggest volume, details, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life. Beyond this, fugitive pigments made it possible for the artist to create additional layers of interest and detail as we see in this example.

Provenance: private Corpus Christi, Texas, USA estate collection, acquired 1960s to 1970s

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#165115
Condition Report: Chip to rim. Repair and restoration to foot, neck, rim, and handle. Break lines visible on handle. Some nicks to paint. Otherwise, very nice with faint iridescence.