Magna Graecia, southern Italy, near present day Ignazia, ca. 340 to 320 BCE. Attractive blackware pottery pitcher with trefoil spout decorated in the Gnathian technique with fugitive red, white, and yellow pigments - depicting an attractive grapevine pattern around the lower shoulder along with a band of white ovolo surrounded by incised outlines and punctuated with white dots, followed by a band of red, yellow, and white lozenge motifs, and finally a yellow/white dotted band. Incised marks delineate these bands as well. Size: 5" in diameter x 8.375" H (12.7 cm x 21.3 cm)
Gnathia ware is named for the site where it was first discovered - the Apulian site of Egnathia. The black glaze ware is traditionally decorated with floral or foliage motifs such as the grapevines in this example in red, white, or yellow hues. Scholars believe that its production most likely was centered around Taras, with primary workshops in Egnathia and Canosa. The quantity and quality of Greek colonial Apulian potters increased significantly following the Peloponnesian War when Attic exports dramatically decreased. Apulian artistry demonstrates influences of Ionian (Athenian, Attic) conventions, as well as Doric (western colonial Greek) styles, with a palpable native Italian aesthetic.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#138999
Condition
Probe hole to lower wall as shown. Expected surface wear with scuffs and slight pigment loss commensurate with age. Black glaze has attained an attractive iridescence.