Greek Attic Aryballos Shoe-Form, ex-Christie's (TLd)

**Originally Listed At $2500**

Ancient Greece, Athens, Attic, ca. 4th century BCE. An exceedingly rare example of a mold-formed pottery aryballos in the form of a shoe-covered right foot. The vessel features a flat base with a shallow arch, a stable heel, a pointed toe, a protruding ankle bulge, a funnel mouth, and a slender handle arching between the cylindrical neck and the Achilles tendon. The 'body' of the podiatric vessel is covered in deep orange-hued slip, and the neck and handle are further adorned with black glaze. An extraordinary example of Attic pottery artistry! Size: 3.75" L x 1" W x 2.7" H (9.5 cm x 2.5 cm x 6.9 cm).

For a strikingly similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 41.162.25: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254192

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: ex-Apolonia Ancient Art, Denver, Colorado, USA; ex-private New York, USA collection; ex-Christie's, London, South Kensington "Antiquities" auction (sale 2390, October 6, 2011, lot 96); ex-private French collection, Paris, France, acquired in the 1980s

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A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

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#149125
Condition Report: Minor abrasions, light encrustations, and minor fading to original pigmentation, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits and great traces of original pigment throughout. One TL drill hole beneath heel.