Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

About this artwork

This small terracotta oil flask represents the continuation of Athenian black-figure pottery traditions into the late 6th century BCE. Like its companion piece also attributed to the Cock Painter, this lekythos demonstrates the specialized production of funerary vessels during the Archaic period. Standing 15.5 centimeters tall, this vessel would have contained precious oils offered to the deceased during burial rituals. The lekythos form, with its narrow neck and single handle, was specifically ...

Art Historical Context

This delicate terracotta lekyth, an ancient Greek oil flask standing just 15.5 cm tall, hails from the last quarter of the6th century BCE. Crafted in Athens during the Archaic period, it a poignant purpose as a funerary vessel, holding precious oils offered to the deceased in burial rituals. Its slender form—with a narrow neck and single handle—was ideal for the controlled pouring of expensive liquids, reflecting the specialized production of these intimate grave goods. Attributed to the Cock Painter, master of black-figure pottery identified through Sir John Beazley's stylistic analysis, thi...