The lustrous black gloss of this vessel indicates that it is from the Apulian region of southern Italy. From the 8th century BC onwards, southern Italy was populated by a vast number of Greek colonies, so much so that the Romans referred to the area as Magna Graecia – ‘Great Greece’. These Greek colonies were instrumental in bringing Greek culture to Italy, greatly influencing Roman literature, philosophy, and material culture in turn. Items from Apulia are characterised by their glossy black glaze and by polychromatic pigments of white, ochre, and maroon.
The epichysis was used in Ancient Greece for pouring substances such as wine or oil. The slender and concaved neck allowed the wine to be distributed with a level of control. Epichysis usually features a spool-shaped body, like this beautiful example, although other forms such as the pyriform shape also exist.
To find out more about the different types of Greek vessels please visit our relevant blog post: Type of Ancient Greek Vases.