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Cypriote, Cyprus

Tankard, 1400-1350 BCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Cypriote

Title

Tankard

Year

1400-1350 BCE

Medium

Terracota

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • clay

Techniques

  • terracotta

Dimensions

Height: 21 cm (8 1/4 inches) (to rim)

Place

Cyprus

Type

  • Ceramics

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

39.124.2

Projects & Publications

Publications

Classical Vases, Excluding Attic Black-Figure, Attic Red-Figure and Attic White Ground

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries

During the Late Bronze Age (about 1600 – 1050 BCE) Cyprus’s trading contacts expanded considerably, with handcrafted pottery as a primary export. White slipware vessels like this tankard were highly sought after for both their decorative and functional value. The white “slip,” the coating of thinned clay applied to the gray clay body, provided a background for various patterns in brown or black. Given their textural quality, these patterns might have been imitating ancient embroidery, woven designs, or etched decorations on gourds. The shape of this tankard, reminiscent of a gourd, would have made it an ideal vessel for wine drinking — a purpose that is further evidenced by the handle and high thumb hold that project from its lip.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Tankard with the accession number of 39.124.2. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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