Hellenistic Polychrome Low Profile Kantharos

c.4th-3rd century BC. A polychrome kantharos of low profile, the outer body with circumferential band of rounded spikes and two small loop handles between body and rim, two concentric basal rings; polychrome decoration composed of alternating stripes of beige slip and iron oxide; possibly inspired by sea shells. See Thompson, H.A. 'Two Centuries of Hellenistic Pottery' in The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens,Vol.3, no.4, The American Excavations in the Athenian Agora: Fifth Report (1934), pp.311-476 (167 pages), fig.21, lett. B29. 307 grams, 15.5cm wide (6 1/4"). South German artist and art collector, 1960-1980. With Nagel Auktionen, 714T, 9 September 2014, lot 222 (part"). Private Australian collection. Accompanied by a copy of the previous collector's cataloguing document. This is an unusual piece with no immediate parallels. It could, like the Genucilia plate, have had some funerary or ritualistic purpose, rather than a practical domestic function; the handles are impractical and stepped inside which is likewise impractical for domestic use.For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price
Condition Report: Fine condition.