Sub Category
Small Black Figure Amphora
Archaic Greek (Black-Figure Pottery)
original (tentatively determined)
gift of: Peter and Doris Bietenholz
date of the original: c. late 7th to early 6th century BC
provenance of the original: Selinunte, Sicily
description: Miniature clay amphora. Height 14 cm, diameter 8.5 cm.
This vessel depicts three male figures and a burning altar in black and red on a red ground. Floral depictions which decorate the empty spaces seem to reflect the Corinthian style of painting.
It was purchased from a shepherd in Selinunte, Sicily, in the 1970s. The piece was encrusted with dirt, especially in its base. The Museum has yet to determine conclusively whether the piece is an original or a replica, either identical to, or loosely based on, an original.
(See also: Funeral Dancers Amphora; Storage Amphora.)