Lekythos (Oil Jar)
445-440 BCE
Medium
terracotta, white-ground
Dimensions
30.8 × 9.8 cm (12 1/8 × 3 7/8 in.); Diam.: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.)
Classification
vessel
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111044
Art Historical Context
This elegant lekythos, or oil jar, was crafted by the Achilles Painter around 445–440 BCE Athens during Greece’s Classical. Standing just over a foot tall, the terracotta vessel features the white-ground technique, in a layer of white slip covers the surface to create a pale background for delicate figural scenes. The Achilles Painter was renowned for his refined draftsmanship in this medium, producing works that balanced graceful lines with subtle color washes. White-ground lekythoi like this one held special cultural significance as funerary offerings. Unlike the more durable black- or red-...