APULIA, CIRCA EARLY 3RD CENTURY B.C.

Details

A CANOSAN POTTERY OINOCHOE
APULIA, CIRCA EARLY 3RD CENTURY B.C.
With winged Nike driving a quadriga to the left, the goddess in profile with her hair pulled back, wearing a purple sleeveless chiton, her blue wings with purple and pink on the upper portion, standing in a blue chariot box, her outstretched arms holding the reins, each horse rearing, with forelegs raised from the blue terrain below, a blue feather fastened to its bridle between its erect ears, a nude cupid leading in front, lunging forward with his right leg but looking back, with outstretched arms and wings, all on a pink ground, bands of alternating pink and blue ovolo above and below, rosettes and a palmette on the shoulders, surmounted by a standing draped female, flanked by pink and blue feathers and a pink rosette, clad in a purple floor-length chiton, adorned with a chain of rosettes down the front and along the helm, her left arm akimbo, her right arm bent at the elbow, with her hand at her chest enveloped in the pink-bordered himation, her hair adorned with a blue radiate diadem, joined to the forward-curving ribbed handle, with a rosette on the front
24 in. (61 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, New York, 1992.
with Fortuna Fine Arts, New York.
Acquired by the current owner from the above, 1993.

Sale room notice

Please note that the first line of provenance should read: with Harlan J. Berk, Chicago, 1992 (Ancient Art, no. 36).

Lot Essay

This extraordinarily well preserved vase is a superb example of the Hellenistic polychrome tradition associated with Canosa in the Daunia region of Apulia. During the 4th century B.C. Canosa was a major center for red-figured pottery, but by the 3rd century, the red-figure tradition was eclipsed by vases painted in exuberant pastel colors on a white ground. Several vase shapes continued in popularity, but were frequently embellished with figural decoration, the most common being the askos, volute-krater, pyxis and oinochoe. The necks of oinochoai were often replaced with a standing draped female figure, as here, making it impossible for it to function as a vessel (see p. 218 in J.M. Padgett, et al., Vase-painting in Italy). For a similar oinochoe see no. 7 in F. van der Wielen, Art Grec Insolite, Terres cuites Hellénistiques de Grande Gréce dans les collections privies genevoises.

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