Description:
This is a thin-walled skyphos from south-eastern Italy, the province of Apulia, more specifically Peucezia. It is decorated with a number of horizontal stripes in brown paint, and a frieze of leaves on the shoulder, also in brown. The foot is painted red.
The vessel is intact, but some of the photographs give the incorrect impression that there is damage. For instance, on the photograph which shows the vessel from above, the right handle appears to have been reattached, but in reality the thin line one sees is paint; above the opposite handle there seems to be a small chip, but this is just a small depression in the rim. Similarly, on the photograph which shows the vessel from below, there is a depression in the area painted red, in the middle above the foot. This is a small and very shallow chip, but it is ancient as the paint was applied over it.
The Peucetian people were immigrants from Illyria, who settled in south-eastern Italy, near modern day Bari, as early as the late second millennium BC. Ancient Greek sources mention that Apulia consisted of Daunia, Messapia and Peucezia. The Peucetian people had many contacts with the colonies in Magna Graecia and were also influenced by them.
Dating:
Circa 4th century B.C.
Size:
Height 10.5 cm, width 13.7 cm including handles.
Provenance:
Swiss private collection of Siegfried Schmidli, Biel, acquired 1971-1972.
Condition:
Intact; paint partially worn; some minor surface wear and scratches as shown; an old inventory label underneath.
Price:
€ 495
Stock number:
C0647