Askos with Grape Vine Decoration in Relief

This askos (small vessel for wine or oil)l has a triangular mouth and neck thatopens into a round body. The vessel is decorated with molded relief decoration of purple grapes, green leaves, and dark brown tendrils against a yellow background, suggesting the wine it likely contained. The brown handle imitates the trunk or branches of a grapevine and the body of the vessel itself references the shape of ancient wineskins. Through its integration of decoration and form, this askos fittingly conjures an association with Dionysus, the god of wine. The glaze used to coat the vessel was intended to achieve an attractive, reflective surface, rivaling the beauty of bronze askoi. However, on this askos the glaze ran during firing, causing the green streaks on the bottom half of the vessel.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.