Altgriechisch, Magna Graecia Töpferware Großer Skyphos. 39 cm L. Apulien, 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. Spanische Ausfuhrlizenz.

Very Big Skyphos Gnathia

- important piece -

Ancient Greek, Magna Graecia, Gnathia, second half of the 4th-3rd century BC.

Wheel-thrown pottery. Oxidative firing, overpainted, glazed.

39 cm long with handles, 27,5 cm height and 27,5 cm diameter wihtout handles.

Provenance:
- Private colecction, Valencia, Spain. Acquired before 1980.
- With spanish export license.

Condition: Very good excellent condition, only a crakc in the base not broken, see photos.


Vessel made in the workshops of Gnathia with a bulbous body that narrows towards the base. It has a ring foot, with horizontal handles of circular section very close to the rim of the vessel and slightly directed upwards, and a slightly flared rim. It has a black glazed surface, although there are orange areas, probably due to a problem during firing. It is decorated in red, white, and yellow, with geometric motifs in bands on the upper part and plant motifs on the body, mainly ivy branches and hanging vine elements. Ivy and vines are the most typical decoration on “Gnathia” overpainted ceramics. The black glaze covering the cup leaves an orange-colored band at the base. The National Archaeological Museum in Madrid has a skyphos of similar type in its collection.

Skyphos-type ceramic vessels were common vessels in Magna Graecia (southern Italy and Sicily) during the 6th to 4th centuries BC, a period of intense Greek colonisation. The skyphos is a deep vessel, with two small horizontal handles, used primarily for drinking wine, often in social contexts such as the symposium.

In Magna Graecia, these vessels adopted local decorative styles, influenced by Attic pottery, but also developed characteristics of their own. Among the most notable are the red-figured skyphoi, a technique in which the figures were reserved in the natural colour of the clay while the background was painted black. The subjects depicted include mythological scenes, rituals, Dionysian motifs and aspects of everyday life.

Important workshops emerged in regions such as Apulia, Lucania and Campania, where craftsmen fused Hellenistic traditions with indigenous elements. These vessels had not only a utilitarian function, but also a symbolic and funerary one, as they were often deposited as offerings in tombs.

The Magna Graecia skyphos is thus a testimony to an intense cultural exchange, reflecting the syncretism between Greek tradition and Italic influences in the colonial context.


Notes for export licenses:
- The piece includes the Spanish Export License (Passport for the European Union). NOT TAXES.
- According to Spanish law, items shipped outside the European Union are subject to export taxes, which will be added to the invoice and charged to the buyer. These export taxes are based on the final auction price, and the tax rate is not applied directly to the total value of the item to be exported, but rather different percentages are applied to different sections:
- Up to €6,000: 5%.
- From €6,001 to €60,000: 10%.
This export permit application process can take between 1 and 2 months at most.