Attic White-Ground Miniature Lekythos (Oil Bottle)

Classical
Mid-5th century BCE

3 1/2 x 1 7/16 x 1 7/16 in. (8.9 x 3.7 x 3.7 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Attic - Style and culture of the region of Attica. For culture particular to the capital of Attica, Athens, use "Athenian."
• Classical - Refers to an ancient Greek style and period that begins around 480 BCE, when the Greek city-states defeated the Persian invaders, and ends around 323 BCE, with the death of Alexander the Great. It is characterized by the rebuilding of cities after the Persian wars, the flourishing of philosophy, drama, architecture, sculpture, painting, and the other arts. In the visual arts, it is known for the mastery of the human form and sophistication of architectural design.
• lekythoi - Ancient Greek one-handled, usually tall and slender narrow-necked vessels used for oil and unguents and as an offering for the dead. The form resembles the aryballos in that it has a narrow neck and a single handle, but the lekythos is generally a taller vessel with a small, deep mouth. The Greek word lekythos was undoubtedly used for the various forms called "lekythos" today, although it also appears that the term was used for oil vessels in general in Ancient times.
• miniature - Use to describe objects and beings of a reduced size or scale compared to the average or normal range for its kind.
• 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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