Greek Attic Red-Figure Lekythos w/ Lady
**Originally Listed At $1600**
Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. 5th century BCE. A sweet and petite red-figure lekythos presenting a lovely lady standing in composite profile with her right hand on her hip and her left hand extended. She is elegantly dressed in a flowing himation with drapery folds nicely delineated. Above the figure is a band of meander, and a stylized egg and dart motif adorns the shoulder of the vessel. 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. Size: 5.625" H (14.3 cm)
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 lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life.
Provenance: private Owen collection, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the 1990s from a US-based dealer
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#146032
Condition Report: Minor chips to rim, base, and edge of shoulder. Normal surface wear commensurate with age with scuffs here and there, but the imagery is still strong.
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**Originally Listed At $1600**
Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. 5th century BCE. A sweet and petite red-figure lekythos presenting a lovely lady standing in composite profile with her right hand on her hip and her left hand extended. She is elegantly dressed in a flowing himation with drapery folds nicely delineated. Above the figure is a band of meander, and a stylized egg and dart motif adorns the shoulder of the vessel. 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. Size: 5.625" H (14.3 cm)
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 lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life.
Provenance: private Owen collection, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the 1990s from a US-based dealer
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#146032
Condition Report: Minor chips to rim, base, and edge of shoulder. Normal surface wear commensurate with age with scuffs here and there, but the imagery is still strong.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
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