Terracotta aryballos in the form of a helmeted head
Unknown Artist
ca. 600–575 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
2 15/16 × 1 3/4 × 2 in. (7.4 × 4.5 × 5.1 cm)
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
East Greek · Archaic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.162.74
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delightful terracotta aryballos shaped like a helmeted head,ails from East Greek workshops during the Archaic period (. 600–575 BCE). Measuring just under 3 inches tall, petite vase functioned as a flask for perfumed oils or athletic unguents, a practical item for ancient Greeks who prized personal grooming and sport. Its whimsical anthropomorphic form—complete with a crested helmet—transforms a everyday object into a playful sculptural portrait, blending utility with artistic imagination. East Greek potters were renowned for such innovative plastic vases, molding clay into lively three-...