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Exaleiptron
(Ancient Greece )
The lid and body of this vessel are glazed black, with the exception of a reserved red band decorated with a tongue and dot pattern surrounding the opening of the bowl. The rim or lip descends vertically into the bowl to prevent the contents, likely a liquid such as oil or water, from spilling.
The ancient name of this vessel type is unknown—it is sometimes also referred to as a plemocoe or a kothon, though most modern scholarship terms it an exaleiptron—but its function as a vessel for liquid seems clear from the unusual construction of the lip. Exaleiptra seem to have been associated with women; they are depicted on vase paintings in contexts of weddings and beautification, and examples are found as offerings in women’s graves or in sanctuaries as votives. A female figure holding a vase of this shape can be seen on the red-figure hydria 48.263.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Philip H. Chadbourn, Hyattstown, MD, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, by purchase, 1955.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/19/1974 | Treatment | repaired; loss compensation |
Geographies
Greece, Attica (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H with lid: 8 1/2 × Diam: 8 1/8 × H of vessel: 6 in. (21.6 × 20.7 × 15.3 cm)
H of lid: 2 13/16 × Diam of lid: 4 in. (7.1 × 10.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the S. & A.P. Fund, 1955
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
48.2081