Daunian Terracotta Kyathos with Geometric Decoration and Figural Handle

£ 425.00

An exceptional Daunian terracotta kyathos dish featuring geometric decoration in dark pigment and a vertical handle in the shape of a stylised figure. The dish is circular in shape and rests upon a flat base with rounded sides, a carinated shoulder and a wide sloping rim. The rectangular handle is gently convex and develops at the top to resemble a figure with a small head and both arms raised. Two circular perforations towards the base perhaps represent legs. Geometric motifs decorate the exterior of the vessel in dark pigment, including panelled motifs to the sides, encircling bands to the rim, linear designs to the handle and a star motif to the base. The centre of the interior features a zigzag symbol.

Date: Circa 6th-5th Century BC
Condition: This piece has been repaired and a crack is visible around the base of the handle. Wear and earthy encrustations to the surface. Minor chipping to the rim.

In stock

The ‘kyathos‘ was a shallow, broad bowl with an elongated and tall handle. It is thought to have been used much like a modern ladle, namely, to scoop liquids out of a larger bowl or vase.

The Daunians were an Iapygian tribe located in northern Apulia, corresponding broadly with the province of Foggia today. They spoke the Messapian language and had a distinctive archaeological culture, first coming into contact with the Greeks when the latter embarked upon a large mission of expansion and colonisation around the western Mediterranean Sea (8th – 5th century BC). The Daunians were famed for their beautiful geometric pottery, which was decorated in both polychrome and bichrome palettes. In later periods, their decorative technique expanded to include crudely-rendered figures and animals.

Weight 311.4 g
Dimensions W 15.1 x H 12.5 cm
Culture

Region

Pottery and Porcelain

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, item 65.11.8

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