Greek
A set of Greek black-glazed bowls, Hellenistic, circa 3rd century BC
Pottery
Diameter: 17.4 cm; 18.2 cm
Height: 7.8 cm; 12.5 cm
Height: 7.8 cm; 12.5 cm
Further images
The two bowls form a set. One is a bowl or cup of flaring profile with a low circular base, the interior wall is decorated with an ornamental band of...
The two bowls form a set. One is a bowl or cup of flaring profile with a low circular base, the interior wall is decorated with an ornamental band of stamped ovolo, and a medallion (emblematic) in high relief, also framed by similar band, is set on the bottom. The relief was moulded and attached to the bottom before firing. It represents the bust of youthful Dionysos, with an ivy wreath atop his long curly hair and the animal skin tied around his neck.
The decoration of the deep bowl or cup of oval shape consists mainly of the three figural feet. They are shaped as theatrical masks; each representing a runaway slave, with characteristic bulging eyes, arching brows, pug nose, and wide-open thick lips (the so-called megaphone mask) marked by red colour.
The decoration of the deep bowl or cup of oval shape consists mainly of the three figural feet. They are shaped as theatrical masks; each representing a runaway slave, with characteristic bulging eyes, arching brows, pug nose, and wide-open thick lips (the so-called megaphone mask) marked by red colour.
Provenance
Family collection, New York, USA, acquired in Switzerland in the late 1990sLiterature
Such hemispherical or mastoid bowls or cups were made in glass, pottery, and precious metals such as silver or gold. Probably Calenian, the black-glaze of the terracotta surface on these examples has a metallic shine and imitates such luxury vessels as those made of gold and silver, even down to the medallion/emblema of Dionysus inside. As the wine was consumed on the first cup, a banqueteer was enjoying the image of the benevolent god gradually coming into view, and on the second cup, as it was raised for drinking, the other participants at the symposium would see all three comedic masks, in full view.For a closely related Calenian example also with a bust of Dionysus in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 2001.731. For a similar black-glazed bowl with an emblema of a maenad, originally thought to be from Elis, see the British Museum acc. no. 1898,1121.2.