Greek Apulian Pottery Kantharos w/ Ladies of Fashion

**Originally Listed At $1200**

Magna Graecia, southern Italy, Apulia, ca. 340 to 320 BCE. An elegant kantharos (wine cup) with sweeping high handles, the flared cup's body on a high stem with a tiered foot. Each face of the exterior walls is adorned with a beautiful Lady of Fashion wearing a saccos (head scarf) with ribbons and hair pins, a large earring, and a double-stranded pearl necklace - all delineated in red-figure with added/fugitive white and yellow-orange paint. Size: 6.375" W x 6.625" H (16.2 cm x 16.8 cm)

A kantharos (also cantharus) is an ancient cup form used for drinking/holding wine, possibly for rituals or ceremonial offerings, its shape most likely derived from a metalwork form. This piece is an iconic example of what is known as Type A - characterized by a deep bowl, a tall pedestal foot, and a beautiful pair of highly swung handles extending far above the lip of the vessel. Scholars believe that the kantharos was also an attribute of Dionysos, the god of wine who was also associated with fertility. Hence, in addition to being used during festive banquets, such vessels may have been used in ceremonial rituals to symbolize rebirth.

See a similar example in the Walters Art Museum (Walters 482763).

Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired between 2013 and 2014; ex-private French collection

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#149628
Condition Report: One handle repaired. Minute nicks to rim. Chips to periphery of foot as shown. Normal surface wear with scuffs and minor pigment loss. Stable crack to underside of foot.