no photo available
Trefoil Oinochoe with Lion-Head Handle
This bucchero oinochoe (pitcher) has a trefoil (three-fold) mouth to assist with the pouring of water or wine. The handle connecting the shoulder to the mouth has lion-head terminals, in imitation of metal vessels. The body is undecorated and has a simple ring foot. In addition to their notability as a maritime power, the Etruscans are also known for their bucchero, a style of pottery that was produced between the 7th and the 5th centuries BCE. It is black inside and out due to the reducing atmosphere during the firing process that prevented oxidation. Bucchero vessels are made on a wheel, and the forms often imitate contemporary impasto and metalware. When polished, the effect of bucchero’s black surfaces can even resemble oxidized silver.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Anonymous collection, [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [said to be from Narce]; Walters Art Museum, 1942, by gift.
Measurements
Overall: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift, 1942
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.
48.1853