Aryballos (oil flask): Bull between Lions; Dogs Hunting Hare
650-630 BCE
Description
Small piriform or pointed aryballos. Very narrow ring base. From base, body flares outward and rounds out to form a sloping shoulder. Relatively long neck with broad collar. Small mouth at center. Wide, rectangular handle extends from collar to middle of shoulder. Decorated in black figure with dark red embellishments and rather precisely incised details. Decoration divided into four registers: 1) teardrop-shaped tongues, alternating in red and black, decorate the shoulder; 2) on the body of the aryballos, a lion processes behind a bull towards another, facing, lion. A bird flies to the right over the shoulder of this latter lion. Star rosettes, s-shaped spirals, and thick tasseled fillets decorate the the upper section of this register and the space below the handle; 3) two elongated hounds chase a rabbit below the main register; 4) and triangular rays extend from the base. Registers are separated from each other by a pronounced, simple line. Guilloche pattern in red and black on exterior of handle. On the collar, a ring of narrow toungues surrounds the filling hole. The tongues are ringed by triangular rays, which are themselves surrounded by a thin, black ring at the edge of the collar. Pinkish-buff fabric with a slightly green tinge. Significant loss of slip. Almost one-third of collar missing. Significant chipping around base.
Dimensions
8.4 x 3.7 cm (3 5/16 x 1 7/16 in.) mouth: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.)
Provenance
Herbert A. and Tilly Cahn collection, Basel, (by 2002), sold; [through Jean-David Cahn AG, Basel, Octobert 18, 2002, Auction 3, lot 11], sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2002.
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