Aryballos

Ancient Greece, Corinth. Second half of the 6^th century BCE

A small spherical ceramic vessel with a broad, disc-shaped rim, a short neck, and a vertical loop handle connecting the upper part of the spherical body with the edge of the rim. The upper surface of the rim is decorated with a pattern of concentric circles and dots. The handle is ornamented with three horizontal brown lines. The neck is separated from the body by a brown band. The terracotta-coloured body is decorated with dark brown painted motifs depicting a lion and a stylized vegetal ornament arranged horizontally. The convex base is decorated with seven concentric circles in dark and light brown.

The aryballos has the rounded shape and small size characteristic of ancient perfume vessels. Such vessels were used to store scented oils, perfumes, or cosmetic preparations.

The vessel is made of well-levigated light-brown clay and covered with a thin light-coloured slip and a transparent glaze.

The object is a characteristic example of small-scale ancient ceramic ware, reflecting the high level of development of pottery craftsmanship and the artistic decoration of utilitarian objects in antiquity.

Provenance: The object comes from the collection of the renowned patron and collector Kateryna Mykolaivna Skarzhynska (1853–1932).