Lekanis (Covered Dish)
450-430 BCE
Medium
terracotta, black-glaze
Dimensions
22.2 × 48.3 × 36.8 cm (8 3/4 × 19 × 14 1/2 in.)
Classification
vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
256
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The shape of this lekanis—a low, lidded bowl resting on a broad foot with ribbon-like handles projecting from its sides—is typical, but its large size and lack of figural decoration are unusual. Frequently this type of vessel was decorated with marriage scenes, but this example is almost entirely covered with shiny black gloss, except for a horizontal band of vertical zigzags on the bowl and a band of rays at the base of the bowl and on the lid. Several thin, dark-red bands also encircle the ves...
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...