Attic White-Ground Lekythos Attributed to the Beldam Painter with Athena Between Warriors
£ 2,500.00
A Greek Attic terracotta lekythos, decorated in the white-ground technique. The vessel sits upon a flat, circular base and features a slightly tapered body with a narrow neck leading to a funnel-shaped mouth and a thick, flat rim. A single handle has been attached from the neck to the shoulder. The body is covered almost entirely in white slip and is decorated with the image of Athena, fighting amongst two warriors. The goddess is depicted facing left, wearing a high-crested helmet and a long chiton. In one hand she holds a spear pointing towards the head of a warrior, who is advancing towards her. Her other arm is raised but grasped by another warrior behind and her shield is between them by the feet. Both warriors are wearing a high-crested helmet and a short chiton with a mantle. A band of meanders is visible to the top, partly covered by the large crests of the helmets. The design has been rendered in black pigment, which is applied after firing, with the drapery and additional details executed through linear carvings. The lekythos is further enriched with vertical strokes and rays to the shoulder. The mouth, handle, lower body and upper section of the foot have been applied with black slip, whilst the neck and rim have been left uncoloured.
Date: Circa early 5th century BC
Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Bernard Coiffu, inventory, no. 64. Previously acquired from the Carrefour gallery, July 17, 1974.
Condition: Fine condition with a repair to the junction of neck and handle. Some loss of pigment and minor chips to the mouth and the foot. Faint pencil markings of the previous collection to the base.
In stock
The lekythos has been attributed to the Beldam Painter, an Attic black figure vase painter active in the Athenian region around the first half of the 5th century BC. One of the characteristics of his artistic production are the garlands of ivy, sometimes rendered as simple outlines, as seen on this fine example, to the lekythoi’s shoulders and necks. The style of the Beldam Painter appears really close to the production of another Attic painter, the Haimon Painter.
White-ground lekythoi were made almost exclusively for the use in funerary rituals, to store oil. The clay used for this technique turned white when fired and allowed potters to apply pigment on top, after firing. Initially the design was used on other shapes however around the middle of the 5th century the technique was used solely for lekythoi. One explanation for this shift could be the delicate nature of the white-slip, it did not survive well on pottery used frequently but could survive on the single-use funerary flasks. Scenes depicted on white-ground lekythoi usually depicted imagery related to death and funerary rituals.
To find out more about different types of Greek vessel please see our relevant blog post: Collecting Greek Vases.
