Corinthian Aryballos (Oil Flask)

Archaic
700 BCE - 640 BCE

2 5/16 x 1 7/16 x 1/8 in. (5.8 x 3.6 x 0.3 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• aryballoi - Relatively small ancient Greek vessels with a globular body, a short neck, a flat disk-shaped mouth with a small orifice, and a handle (or sometimes two) extending from the shoulder to the rim; used for holding oils, perfumes, and ointments. They are usually made of terracotta. Uses of the aryballoi included in funeral rituals and by athletes who wore them on their wrists, suspended by thongs or strings.
• incising - The process and technique of producing, forming, or tracing a pattern, text, or other usually linear motif by cutting, carving, or engraving.
• Proto-Corinthian - Refers to the Orientalizing phase of Greek art in Corinth, from about 720 to 620 BCE, which is roughly contemporary with the Proto-Attic phase in Athens. The Proto-Corinthian pottery style developed in Corinth in the eighth century BCE and lasted until around 640 BCE. It is characterized by vessels that are usually cups, jugs, or perfume pots, with decoration that is at first geometric and later includes animal and human figures, with occasional Eastern curvilinear ornamentation. The later examples are distinctive for the rounded contours and animation of the figures, painted in outline and silhouette, with added designs in incision and white color.
• toilettes - Term applied to a variety of French dressing tables designed for women.
• vase paintings - Refers to two-dimensional decoration applied to pottery by using paint made of metallic oxides or other pigments held in suspension in slip or another medium. The term is particularly used to refer to Ancient Greek red- and black-figure works. See also "porcelain paintings (visual works)."

This object is a member of the following portfolios: