Ancient Greece, Athens (Attic), ca. 430 to 420 BCE. A very special red-figure lekythos depicting a winged Nike, the goddess of victory and strength, draped from in flowing garments from her neck to her toes, but still revealing her magnificent wing meticulously delineated with plumage. Above Nike is a narrow register of Greek and checkerboard motifs, and stylized palmettes adorn the shoulder of the vessel. The vessel presents a classic form comprised of a tapered cylindrical body with a planar shoulder, a tubular neck, a thick cup-shaped spout with a flat rim, and an applied strap handle joining neck to shoulder, all upon a tiered discoid base. Quite simply, this is a stunning piece, replete with symbolic imagery and an elegant form. Size: 10.25" H (26 cm)
Perhaps the most exciting innovation in Greek vase painting was the red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 525 BCE and beloved by other artists of Magna Graecia. The red-figure technique allowed for much greater flexibility as opposed to the black-figure technique, for now the artist could use a soft, pliable brush rather than a rigid metal graver to delineate interior details, play with the thickness of the lines, as well as build up or dilute glazes to create chromatic effects. The painter would create figures by outlining them in the natural red of the vase, and then enrich these figural forms with black lines to suggest volume, at times perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private G. Loles collection, Connecticut, USA, acquired in the 1990s
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#146880
Condition
Repaired from multiple pieces with restoration over the break lines as well as repainting to figure and decoration.