Oinochoe (Pitcher)

About this artwork

This vase depicts a woman wearing a chiton, a himation and a white sakkos (hat) sitting on an elaborate four-tier rock, holding a phiale (dish) out in her right hand and a large bunch of grapes back in her left. By her legs is a large and elaborate tambourine; to the far right is an elaborate sprouting floral.

Art Historical Context

This elegant oinochoe, or wine pitcher, crafted by the Mattinata Painter around the end of the 4th century BCE, exemplifies the artistry of South Italian Greek pottery. Standing at 38.1 cm tall, this terracotta vessel was designed for pouring wine during symposia—lively social gatherings where Greeks mingled over drink and discourse. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's of Arts of Greece,, and Byzantium, reflects the cultural fusion of Greek colonists in Apulia, Italy, where the Mattinata Painter worked. The red-figure technique, a hallmark of Classical Greek vase painting, shines here: artists left figures in the natural red clay tone while painting the background black with slip, then adding fine details through incision and dilute paint. This innovation, perfected by the late 6th century BCE, allowed for greater anatomical precision and expressive narratives compared to earlier black-figure methods. The Mattinata Painter, named after a key findspot in Puglia, favored dynamic scenes inspired by theater and myth, making his works vibrant storytelling objects. Beyond utility, such pitchers held cultural weight as status symbols and grave goods, bridging daily life and the afterlife in ancient Greek society. This piece invites us to imagine the clink of revelry in a torchlit hall, preserving a slice of Hellenistic-era sophistication.