Unknown Maker, Greco-Roman

Constructed to hold perfume or perfumed ointment, this marble vase may have been used for baths, banquets, or weddings. However, the primary function of the ointment vase (exaleiptron) was as a funerary gift. Several examples exist of white-ground lekythoi, or oil flasks, depicting these vases in use. The elaborate shape of the vase is too complex for it to have been carved from one piece of marble; such vases are usually assembled of six pieces, the base, stem, lower bowl, upper bowl, lid, and knob. The knob belonging to this vase has been lost.