Object Description
A fine Greek epichysis, originating from the south Italian region of Apulia. The flanged body, with domed shoulders, leads to a long, thin neck with a beaked spout, featuring a modelled lip, with a ridge at its inner edge. The strap handle, sharply angled at the top, rises above the spout, before bending back down to join the body. The base of the handle is decorated with a painted palmette-fan while the base of the neck is adorned with vertical lines. A pair of delicately moulded faces on either side of the upper neck marks the point of separation between the handle and the pouring spout, further enriching the composition.
Eros, winged and heroically nude, is depicted on the shoulder of the epichysis, sitting upon a row of white dots. His legs are outstretched, and he is holding a casket in his right hand while his left arm is used to hold himself up. His body is adorned with a kekryphalos (a hair covering), a single-strand necklace, a bandolier, shoes, as well as bracelets on both arms and left leg. The feathers of his wings are detailed in white pigment and are slightly outsplayed. Flanking the god on either side, two scrolls with palmette leaves and white decorations fill the remainder of the shoulder frieze. A projecting ledge-trim decorated with a vitruvian wave pattern frames the shoulder. A reserved band marks the joining of the vessel’s body to its base. The slightly concave body is encircled by a continuous ivy pattern with white leaves and incised red stems. The base is unglazed and unadorned.
Date: Circa 340-300 BC