Terracotta lekythos
last quarter of the 6th century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. 14 cm
Classification
Vases
Culture
Greek
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020
Accession Number
2021.40.36
About this artwork
This diminutive terracotta vessel exemplifies the refined black-figure pottery produced in Athens during the last quarter of the 6th century BCE. Attributed to the Cock Painter—an anonymous artisan identified by modern scholars through stylistic analysis—this lekythos served as an oil flask, likely containing precious oils or perfumes. By the end of the 6th century BCE, such vessels had become particularly associated with funerary practices, containing offerings of oil for the deceased. The Cock...