Published Rhodian Aryballos in Form of an Archaic Female Bust

Culture: Greek/Rhodian

Period: 6th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 9 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 2618

Provenance: Private collection London, acquired on 11 November 1963 from Sotheby's London, lot 141. Thence exhibited in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in "Ancient Life in Miniature" from 12 October to 30 November 1968. Thence again with Sotheby's London on 8 December 1994, lot 200. Last in an English collection.

Condition: Stable cracks on the surface. Flaking, particularly on the right side.

Description: Formed from a mould and finely painted Rhodian aryballos in the shape of an archaic female bust. The woman wears a figure hugging, black chiton, which leaves the shoulders and arms bare. She has a roundish face with almond-shaped eyes, high brows and a prominent nose. The mouth is formed to a typically archaic smile. The woman has long black curls, which cascade at the back far into the nape and in the front in individual strands on both sides over the shoulders. On the calotte sits the spout of the vessel. It is without paint and has a broad, disc-shaped rim. The aryballos is published in: Felicity Nicholson “Ancient Life in Miniature”, Birmingham 1968, number 20, p. 16. See for the type also the aryballos in the Rhodes Archaeological Museum with the inventory number 13000, which can be found in the Beazley Archive Pottery database with the number 9004943. The aryballos from the collection Ernest Brummer originates from the same form, published in: “The Ernest Brummer Collection. Ancient Art. Vol. II”, no. 675, p. 304-305. On an old wood base with a Sotheby’s label.