Large Corinthian Aryballos Attributed to the Painter of the Munich Sirens

Culture: Greek/Corinthian

Period: 570-550 B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 13 cm high

Price: 9 000 Euro

Ref: 2653

Provenance: From the famous French collection of Pierre and Claude Vérité, acquired in the Mid 20th Century. Auctioned with Christie's Paris on 20 December 2011, lot 115. Thence in a Parisian collection. Accompanied by a French antiquities passport.

Condition: Except for minor wear intact.

Description: Large Corinthian aryballos with black-figure painting, which depicts as the central motive an impressive portrait of a hoplite to the right. He wears a Corinthian helmet with a high red plume. The warrior is flanked by two geese facing towards him. In the back an inscription with Greek red letters, which are to be interpreted as a dipinto. Since the inscription reaches into the image area of one goose, it was applied after the manufacturing of the aryballos, possibly to praise it, or to label it as a trophy in a competition. The shoulder is decorated with encircling tongue motives, concentrical circles are painted at the bottom. The vessel itself has a spherical body and stands on a round base, set off by profiling. The spout has a broad, almost horizontal rim, the band handle is short and ends on the shoulder. The painting is attributed to the Painter of the Munich Sirens, who was active during the late Corinthian period. See for comparison the aryballos from the same painter in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden with the inventory number Dr. 085. Another, very similar aryballos was in the Staatliche Antikensammlungen in Munich with the inventory number SH320 and is now considered a war loss. The piece is published in: J. Sieveking, R. Hackel (ed.) „Die Königliche Vasensammlung zu München“. I. Band: „Die älteren nichtattischen Vasen“, Munich 1912, page 25, no. 320 with pl. 9.