Product Description
A pear-shaped aryballos decorated with a “scale” pattern, highlighted by orange-beige or red dots. Languettes also adorn the sinuous shape, on the shoulder and on the lower belly.
Such vessels served to contain perfume or oil, and are often depicted in vase paintings being used by athletes in the bath or the gymnasium. They are also often found in tombs, as offerings to the deceased.
This shape first appeared in Corinth around 700 B.C. and became very popular in other production centers, such as in Etruria. Our example perfectly illustrates the Etruscan creations that aimed to imitate Corinthian pottery from the 7th century B.C. onward. These works were inspired by Proto-Corinthian vessels and almost equal their models in quality. The sizes might also be very similar, but other variants were introduced in the repertoire.