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Unknown Maker, Greek

Storage jar (amphora)

Maker

Unknown Maker, Greek

Culture

Greek

Title

Storage jar (amphora)

Year

540-520 BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

clay

Geography

Place Made: Attica; Archaeological Site: Caere, Found at Caere (modern Cerveteri)

Dimensions

Height: 30 cm (11 13/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed by the Potter Nikosthenes ("Nikosthenes made..." under one of two broad, flat handles)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

23.303

Type

Publications

Articles

The Success of the Nikosthenic Aesthetic

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

Storage jars (amphorae) were used during the symposium to hold various dry goods and liquids, like oil or wine. This Athenian amphora was signed by the 6th century BCE potter and workshop owner, Nikosthenes. His signature Nikosthenes epoisen (Nikosthenes made [this]) is inscribed beneath one handle. As a potter, Nikosthenes is known for producing vessels specifically designed to suit the various foreign tastes of the export market. The thin walls and broad flat handles were modeled after an Etruscan form originally produced in metal. The body of the vessel is divided into sections by raised ridges that suggest how a metal vase would have been pieced together; here they are purely stylistic.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Greek
Storage jar (amphora), 540-520 BCE
Terracotta, black-figure
Height: 30 cm (11 13/16 inches)
Museum Appropriation Fund 23.303

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