Kantharos (drinking cup)
600-575 BCE
Description
This kantharos (cup with two vertical handles) is made of bucchero, a type of pottery fired black, and is embellished with a frieze of animals and monsters in relief. A chimera is followed by a griffin, a wild goat, horse, and sphinx. The repeating pattern was created by rolling a cylindrical stamp over the vessel’s surface before it was completely dry, a technique referred to as "rouletting". The polish and relief decoration of bucchero vessels evoke metal.
Dimensions
Overall with handles: H. 16.1 x W. 22.2 cm (6 5/16 x 8 3/4 in.) Dia. of cup: 14.7 cm (5 13/16 in.)
Provenance
John Kirtland Wright, New York, (by 1917-1969), by descent; to his daughter, Mary Wolcott Wright Toynbee, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, (1969-2014), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2014.
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