Greek Attic Red-Figure Lekythos w/Female - TL Tested

Ancient Greece, Athens, Attic, ca. late 6th to early 5th century BCE. A very fine Attic lekythos painted via the red-figure technique with a figural scene depicting a male and a female figure, the pair facing and engaging with one another. While the female is looking at the man, her feet face the opposite direction as if she is moving/dancing toward her right. She holds a large basket in her left hand and an alabastron in her right. Meanwhile, the male stands in profile, draped in a voluminous cloak, and leaning on a crook or walking stick. A sash with cross motifs and a pair of krotala, wooden clappers that a dancing girl would play while performing, are on the wall between the figures. The krotala suggest the female is an entertainer of a brothel or symposium. Perhaps the young man has come to hire the evening's entertainment. Above the scene is a register of meander and checkerboard motifs; below is a register of repeated tongues. Beautiful palmettes and tendrils adorn the shoulder of the vessel. Size: 11.75" H (29.8 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.

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: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s

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#142822
Condition Report: Spout and possibly neck and handle have been restored with some repainting, but very well done and difficult to see. Nicks to rim of spout. Normal surface wear with minor scuffs and nicks; however, the iconography and decorative program are very strong.