Corinthian aryballos in the form of a ram
€1,820
available
Object number
AR3266
| Object: |
Corinthian aryballos in the form of a ram
|
| Material: |
Terra cotta with beige slip and remains of dark brown or black paint.
|
| Period: |
600 BC to 575 BC. Middle Corinthian. Classical Antiquity. |
| Description: |
Small clay vessel in the shape of a ram. The legs folded under the body are abstractly modeled. The head and the spiral horns are modeled in more detail. The liquid inside the vessel could be dosed through a narrow opening at the top of the head. The legs and horns are highlighted in black, the body is decorated with rows of black dots. The vessel is a type of aryballos, meaning it is a vessel for perfumed oil. It was made in Corinth, where at that time the typical spherical aryballoi were mass produced for the local and export market. The ram shape was very popular among the animal shapes, but is significantly rarer than the spherical shape. |
| Dimensions: |
7.2cm long, 3.8cm wide, 5.3cm high.
|
| Condition: |
Body perfectly preserved apart from minor chips. Significant parts of the original dark paintwork can still be made out. Inscription from a previous owner on the underside "MPB 29". Old Christie's threaded label.
|
| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2022 from the Swiss private collection of P. Bonsera. Acquired at the Bruun Rasmussen auction in Copenhagen, Denmark, 4 May 2020, lot 7509. Previously in a presumably Danish private collection. Acquired into the collection from Christie's London auction of 27 October 2004, lot 430. Consigned to Christie's from a Swedish private collection of Attic and Corinthian vases. Acquired into that collection in 1975 in Copenhagen.
|
| References: |
Cf. a near identical piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 2021.40.66.
|
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
|