Attic Black Figure Siana Cup by Lydos

Greece, Attic, Classical Period, ca. 550 BCE. A stunning example of a black figure siana cup, a cup for drinking similar to a kylix. Lydos, an Attic vase painter of Lydian origin active between 560 and 540 BCE painted the vessel. The large bowl with its slightly corseted neck stands on a short leg with a flared foot. Twin horizontal loop handles are at the sides. The exterior is painted with a repeated black figure scene between each handle: seven men, centered on a battle between a hoplite and a man on horseback, with athletes and robed figures facing inward and watching them. The interior is largely painted black, with a wonderful image in tondo of of an eagle in flight, surrounded by alternating red and black petals. Size: 12" W x 4.5" H (30.5 cm x 11.4 cm)

Siana cups are scarce, and are named after several examples that were found at Siana on the island of Rhodes. Successors to the Komast cups created by the Komast Group, the shape was first developed by Attic potters, and was created to achieve a pleasing balance of light and dark. Its beautiful style of decoration was influenced by the Archaic ceramics produced at Corinth. Indeed, Lydos represents a transitional period, as he was the last Attic painter to paint animal friezes in the Corinthian style. Characteristic features of this type of vessel include the elegant curved base-stem, that reaches up in support of the large bowl, as well as its distinguished rim or lip. It is this design that provides wonderful eye appeal. For more information about this type of vessel see "Attic Black-Figured Pottery" by Robert Folsom, Noyes Classical Studies Pub., New Jersey, 1975, and "Simply Decorated: Black Siana Cups by the Taras Painter and Cassel Cups", by H.A.G. Brijder, Bulletin Antieke Beschaving, vol. 68, 1993, pp. 129-145.

Provenance: ex-New York City, New York, USA collection; ex-private Belgian collection, acquired in the 1980s

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#149899
Condition Report: Professionally repaired and restored from multiple pieces. This includes overpaint, particularly the black in the interior. However, much of the original pigment remains.