Terracotta pointed aryballos (oil flask)
Unknown Artist
ca. 640–625 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
H. as restored 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Corinthian · Protocorinthian
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph Brummer, 1923
Accession Number
23.44
Art Historical Context
This delicate terracotta aryballos, or pointed oil flask, hails from Corinth, Greece, during the Protocorinth period around 640–625 BCE. Standing just 2½ inches tall as restored, it exemplifies the exquisite miniature pottery that Corinthian workshops produced in this formative era, bridging Geometric austerity and the emerging Orientalizing style. These small vessels were masterfully wheel-thrown from fired clay, often featuring intricate black-figure decoration with lively animal motifs—a hallmark of Protocorinthian innovation that influenced later Greek vase painting. Aryballoi like this o...