Hellenistic (?) Black-Gloss Oil Filler (?)

Hellenistic
323 BCE - 31 CE

2 5/8 x 3 9/16 x 3 9/16 in. (6.7 x 9 x 9 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• black - UCL (Universal Color Language) standard color name identifying a range of blackish colors. More specifically, black is an achromatic color of maximum darkness, referring to objects having little or no hue owing to the absorption of almost all light in the visible spectrum. In the context of pigments, black is theoretically the mixture of all colors. In the context of colors of light, black is the absence of light.
• black-gloss ware - Fine ware that was widely produced in the Mediterranean region from the 4th to the 1st centuries BCE. It is distinguished by being wholly or in part covered with a black slip or gloss, which is not actually a glaze (although it is sometimes called "black-glaze ware"). This ware developed from later Attic production, but by the Hellenistic period (about 330-30 BCE), it had become the most popular fine ware throughout the Mediterranean. It was the first pottery to be exported in quantity from southern Italy by the 3rd century BCE.
• ceramic glaze - Thin, opaque, vitreous coating that is applied to the surface of a ceramic body by painting, spraying, or dipping, in order to add color, texture, or water resistance to the object. The glaze is applied to the surface of a fired ceramic piece, and then the piece is refired at a temperature that vitrifies the glaze, but is lower than the original firing temperature. Ceramic glazes are usually mixtures of silicates, colorants, and flux.
• engobe - Slip glaze applied over a clay body to provide a smooth surface for further glazing or decoration, usually by dipping or brushing; contains color oxides as well as clay, feldspar, and silica.
• Hellenistic - Refers to the ancient Greek period, culture, and art of ancient Greece that lasted from about 330 BCE to 31 BCE, when Augustus defeated Cleopatra and Mark Antony. It is characterized by an international culture that was ushered in by Alexander the Great's conquest of India, Egypt, and the Near East. In architecture and art, the style is marked by greater sophistication, complexity, and diversity than was known in earlier Greek styles. Architecture diverges from strict rules of earlier periods. Sculptors emphasized more realistic figures in a greater variety of poses than in earlier Greek art.
• slip - Fine clay which, when mixed with water, results in a fluid with a creamlike consistency, used in casting, glazing, decorating, and repairing ceramic wares; in its natural state, it contains sufficient flux to be used for glazing and decorating without the need of additives. For ceramic glaze with a high content of slip, use "slip glaze."

This object is a member of the following portfolios: