Terracotta fragment of a lekythos (oil flask)
Unknown Artist
6th/5th centuries BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dietrich von Bothmer, Distinguished Research Curator, Greek and Roman Art, 2011
Accession Number
2011.604.3.922
Art Historical Context
This terracotta fragment from a lekythos, or slender oil flask, offers a glimpse into everyday life in Archaic Athens during the 6th to 5th centuries BCE Produced in Attica, the heartland of ancient Greek pottery, lekythoi were versatile vessels used to hold perfumed oils for grooming, athletic anointing, or funerary rituals—often placed in tombs as grave goods to honor the deceased. As a fragment, it survives from a once-complete vase, highlighting the fragility of these ancient artifacts and the skill of Athenian potters who mass-produced them for both local use and export across the Mediter...