Greek Attic Red Figure Lekythos w/ Dancing Woman

Ancient Greece, Athens, ca. 6th century BCE. A wheel-thrown lekythos with straight walls that rise to a flat shoulder which tapers to a corseted cylindrical neck, a flared and in-folded rim, and a high-arching handle joining neck and shoulder, all sitting upon a discoid foot. The black-glazed exterior boasts areas of red-figure artistry, including a dancing woman dressed in a long, flowing robe on the body of the vessel and radiating striations adorning the shoulder. Size: 1.9" in diameter x 4.4" H (4.8 cm x 11.2 cm)

Lekythoi were used for storing oil used for a wide variety of purposes in the Classical World. While larger examples were usually designated for keeping olive oil, smaller more delicate examples were reserved for the bath to store precious unguents of sweet and floral aromas. Given the tall aspect of this piece, it was likely used to store olive oil for special gatherings.

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 New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private T.G. collection, Williston, Florida, USA, #2033, acquired in 2000

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#166963
Condition Report: Repaired from several pieces with break lines visible. Expected nicks and abrasions throughout, commensurate with age. Some possible repainting. Otherwise, excellent.