Attic (?) White-Ground Alabastron (Oil Flask)

Classical-Hellenistic
5th century BCE - 4th century BCE

6 9/16 x 1 5/8 x 1 5/8 in. (16.7 x 4.2 x 4.1 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• alabastra - Small ancient Greek or Roman vessels for holding oils, ointments, or perfumes; usually elongated in form, almost cylindrical, and rounded at the bottom. Some footed examples also exist. They either have no handles or one small handle at the side. Alabastra are small enough to be held in one hand or it could be carried by a string looped around its narrow neck or passed through smal lugs on the shoulder. The shape originated in Egypt, where it was made in glass, faience, or alabaster (it takes its name from this stone).
• Attic - Style and culture of the region of Attica. For culture particular to the capital of Attica, Athens, use "Athenian."
• White-ground - Refers to a style of ancient Greek vase painting that employed a variation on the technique of the Red-figure style and became popular in the middle of the fifth century BCE. It is characterized by the use of a chalky white slip as a background, over which black glaze was used to outline figures, and diluted glazes of purple, brown, red, and white were used to color the figures. Additional colors that could not withstand firing were added afterwards. Scenes often depict figures situated on a common groundline at the bottom of a panel or in horizontal bands, which is unlike earlier compositions where figures were generally scattered throughout the picture plane.

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