Aryballos (Cointainer for Oil)

Description

Located on the narrow isthmus that joins the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese, with natural harbors facing east and west, Corinth was the major port of trade in Greece for most of the Archaic period (700–480BC). Producers exported scented oil around the Mediterranean in terra-cotta containers, such as this aryballos, that survive today in the thousands.

Provenance

Edwin Brand, Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1956.

Aryballos (Cointainer for Oil)

Ancient Greek

625-600 BCE

Accession Number

5025

Medium

terracotta, black-figure

Dimensions

7 × 6.4 × 6.4 cm (2 3/4 × 2 1/2 × 2 1/2 in.)

Classification

vessel

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Edwin Brand