CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Classical Attic (Athens, Greece).
DATE:  Circa 475-450 BCE
DIMENSIONS:  11.5 cm. (4.5 in.) tall.

DESCRIPTION: Intact. An Attic black-figure lekythos. The vessel’s body rises from a circular base to a slender tubular form, upward sloping shoulder, narrow neck, and flattened outward splayed rim. The body is decorated with one thick and one narrow band of black, above which three tall palmettes enhanced with incision though the black, alternating with three stylized lotus buds, and a row of six circles, all also enhanced with incision, and faint traces of arches in added white over the palmettes. The shoulder is decorated with chevrons, and the neck with radiating strokes. The flat rim is reserved while the outer and inner sides are black glazed. The sides and bottom of the base are reserved and the top black glazed. A flat strap handle, black glazed on the outer side, rises from the shoulder to connect beneath the rim. There are a few minor surface chips and rubbing in some areas. A very nice example of the type.

PROVENANCE: Formerly in the collection of Mr. W. Levy (1916-2006), mostly acquired on the London market between 1960 and 1990.

PUBLISHED: Bonham’s auction catalogue, ANTIQUITIES, 26 April, 2007, London, Page 133, illustrated in color on Page 132.

COMPARISONS: Athens: The City Beneath The City; Antiquities from the Metropolitan Railway Excavations, Greek Ministry of Culture, Athens, 2000, #307 for a very similar black figure lekythos, dated 500-475 BC, and #314 for a very similar black figure lekythos dated 480-470 BC