Strigil

Description Strigils were used by Greeks and Romans to scrape layers of sand and oil from their bodies after exercising. The strigil and the "aryballos," a small oil container, were the basic equipment of all athletes in the ancient world. Grave steles, vases, and statues often depict athletes carrying or using this essential instrument of their profession.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930