Oinochoe (Pitcher)
550-500 BCE
Medium
terracotta, Bucchero sottile ware
Dimensions
35.6 × 20.3 × 19.1 cm (14 × 8 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
pitcher (vessel)
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
172
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This pitcher for wine is called an oinochoe, a combination of the Greek oînos, "wine" and khéō, "I pour". The shiny black glaze is the result of a technique invented by the Etruscans, a powerful ancient civilization in ancient Italy - near modern day Tuscany - with whom the Greeks regularly traded. The glossy black pottery later known as Bucchero ware was made from the 7th century to the late 5th century BC. Produced for both domestic and funerary uses, Bucchero ware was popular locally and acro...