Miniature Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects)
300-270 BCE
Medium
terracotta, with silhouette decoration
Dimensions
a (jar): 7.1 × 8.5 × 8.5 cm (2.82 × 3 .375 × 3.375 in) b (lid): 2.1 × 4 × 4 cm (.83 × 1.61 × 1.60 in) c (saucer): 2.5 × 13.3 × 13.3 cm (1 × 5.25 × 5.25 in)
Classification
ceramics
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
282
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The shoulder of this vase is decorated with a black ivy wreath with complex runners. Black lines appear on the handles and between them, as well as on the short neck.
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...