Greek Daunian Polychrome Owl Kyathos w/ Bird

**Originally Listed At $600**

Magna Graecia, Italy, Apulia / Daunian, ca. 4th century BCE. A fabulous polychrome kyathos (wine ladle) of a form very similar to examples from Herdonia site in Ordona, Italy. The iconographic theme is most definitely avian, with an owl-face handle and an image of a bird in tondo. Owls were popular in Magna Graecia, being symbols Athena (and also associated with Athens). In addition, geometric decorative passages called listati adorn the handle; this is another characteristic of Daunian vessels. In addition, linear bands of black and red over a cream ground adorn the rim and exterior walls of the vessel, a stylized spoked motif surrounded by equidistantly spaced nested arcs embellishes the underside of the base, and a stylized bird with raised wings adorns the tondo of the vessel. A distinctive and unique vessel. Size: 6.126" W (handle to opposite end) x 4.625" H (15.6 cm x 11.7 cm)

Daunian society was a mixture of native Italians and Greeks who had settled in the area. As early as the 6th century BCE, Daunia was an extremely wealthy region as is evidenced by the rich grave goods from the urban centers of Canosa, Arpi, and Salapia among others. The shapes of the vessels remained strongly influenced by the Italians -- this one, for example, is a form of the Greek kyathos, or dipper, with a flat, long, looping handle, but the wideness of the strap is purely Daunian.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#146859
Condition Report: Chips and scratches to interior rim. Expected surface wear with scuffs/scratches and slight pigment loss. Deposits on surface as well. Old collection label on underside of base.