Classical World, Northern Italy, Etruria, ca. early 6th century CE. A striking bowl with a dramatically corseted shoulder, twin spooled handles on opposite sides of the shoulder - the lengths of which are incised with vertical striations, all upon a concave ring base. Adorning the lower shoulder, just above the subtle flange separating it from the lower section, is a band of incised concentric circle motifs with a single vertical rib marking the midpoint of each side. The vessel is a beautiful lustrous black-brown. Size: 7.75" in diameter x 3.375" H (19.7 cm x 8.6 cm)
Items like these were wheel-made, with a foot that was thrown separately on the wheel and joined to the rest of the vase as the two pieces began to harden. It was then burnished with a slip and fired in a reducing atmosphere to produce this glossy black color, characteristic of the famous Bucchero style. This piece almost certainly originiated as a funerary work, placed in an opulent Etruscan tomb as an offering. However, it was probably placed there because similar - or maybe even the same - vessels were used in life by the people of Etruria; items placed in the tomb were meant to be a link between the world of the living and the dead, and to help furnish a symbolic domestic space for the deceased. Therefore, it seems likely that vessels like this one were also used in everyday life for serving or storing tasty vittles.
Provenance: ex-private collection of Rochelle Bryant, Los Angeles, California, USA
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#136094
Condition
About 4 to 6 pieces reattached at one side of the vessel - from rim to middle of lower section - with darker areas indicating some restoration. A few small chips to the rim and edge of base. A 1" loss to flange. Normal surface wear with scratches and scuffs commensurate with age. Areas of encrustation and earthen deposits here and there.