480-470 BCE
This small oil flask depicts a lone black archer standing against a white-ground background with his arms outstretched holding an axe in his right hand and a bow in his left. He wears patterned trousers, reminiscent of foreign dress depicted in other vases, and a cuirass with shoulder flaps, tied by a black belt. His quiver is strapped to his waist. His head is turned to the left, curly hair rendered by simple black dots. To his right is a small table. On the side opposite him is a tall palm tree with a rippling trunk.
15.4 x 5.5 cm (6 1/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
Pale greenish white nephrite
18th centuryChineseTerracotta
HellenisticSilver
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14th-15th centuryThaiTerracotta
RomanCeramic
18th-19th centuryJapaneseTerracotta
4th century BCEGreekCeramic
ChineseTerracotta
7th century BCEGreekCeramic
20th centuryAmericanProto porcelain: stoneware with thin ash glaze
5th-4th century BCEChineseSilver, gilt
18th centuryBritish