Elegant Greek Mycenaean Pottery Pyxis

Greece, Mycenaean Period, Late Bronze Age, ca. late 2nd millennium BCE. A fine wheel-thrown pottery pyxis of an elongated form with a tall leg and diminutive foot. A trio of applied loop handles rings the sloping shoulder, and a corseted neck expands upwards to form a thick, flared rim. The pale orange-slipped exterior is accentuated with black pigment and red-brown pigment in narrow bands around the body and a tightly cross-hatched motif around the shoulder. Size: 4.8" W x 4.75" H (12.2 cm x 12.1 cm)

This period is so named for the palace at Mycenae, famed in Homeric legend as the opulent seat of King Agamemnon. Excavations at the palace at Mycenae revealed an elite and long-lasting society with a great deal of wealth. This extended to the workshops of artisans who produced pottery like this vessel both for use in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean world; shiploads of similar jars went out as far as the Levant and Spain, carrying oil, wine, and other commodities.

Provenance: The Dere Family Collection, New York, USA, assembled 1970s-2000s; ex-Richard Wagner Collection, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in 1970s

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#148380
Condition Report: Intact, with light wear and pitting on surface commensurate with age. Nice remaining pigment in many places.