Jug, miniature
Unknown Artist
4th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. 6.71 cm.
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Italic-Native, South Italian (Tarentine) · Late Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.11.11
Art Historical Context
This delicate miniature jug, crafted from terracotta in the 4th century BCE, stands just 6.71 cm tall, exemplifying the exquisite pottery traditions of South Italy's Tarentine region. Produced by an unknown Italic-Native artisan during the Late Classical period it belongs to the vibrant world of ancient Greek colonies in Magna Graecia, where Tarentum (modern Taranto) thrived as a cultural crossroads blending indigenous Italic customs with Hellenic influences. Terracotta vessels like this jug were ubiquitous in daily life, rituals, and funerary practices, often wheel-thrown and fired to a warm...