Magna Graecian Apulian Terracotta Red-Figure Epichysis
£ 1,800.00
A very fine ancient Greek terracotta epichysis from the South Italian Apulian region. The vessel presents a characteristic spool-shaped body with domed shoulders leading to a slender neck and a narrow, steeply angled spout. A tall handle rises above the spout in an elegant curve, before bending back down to join the shoulder. A protruding, moulded, stylised head terminal has been placed at the point of separation between the handle and the pouring spout on either side, to further enrich the composition.
Painted in the red figure technique with decorative details added in white tones, the shoulders of the epichysis present a reclining ‘lady of fashion’. She faces left while holding a phiale in her right hand and a mirror in her left. She is portrayed wearing a ‘chiton’ with the drapes executed through thin linear strokes of black pigment and her hair is tied in a chignon with a ribbon. The lady is also adorned with delicate jewellery, including a beaded necklace, double-band bracelets and a pair of boss-pendant earrings. The rest of the field is filled with curved swirl motifs and a palmette at the base of the handle. To the centre, black vertical lines embellish the lower half of the neck. An outer band of waves frames the entire design.
The vessel has been enriched with a black glaze across the upper neck, the spout, the handle and the body with a band of white laurel leaves painted on top, whilst a thin groove is reserved at the bottom.
Date: Circa 4th century BC
Provenance: Ex Ancient Art Shop, Windsor, UK, in the 1990s. Heads and Tales exhibition, Piccadilly, London, 2002. From the collection of PA, Hertfordshire, UK.
Condition: Very fine condition with minor chipping and scratching of the paint. Minor chip to the spout.
In stock
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.
