Altgriechisch Töpferware Lekythos (Ohne Mindestpreis)

ITEM: Lekythos
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Greek
PERIOD: 3rd Century B.C
DIMENSIONS: 80 mm x 55 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex German private collection, F.B., acquired in European antiquities auctions between 2000 - 2009.
PARALLEL: Acropolis Museum, Excavation Museum, Case 13, No 3

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and European Union export license

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The Greek lekythos (plural: lekythoi) is a distinct type of ancient Greek pottery vessel characterized by its tall, slender, and often cylindrical body, narrow neck, single loop handle, and flat base. Primarily functioning as an oil flask, it was designed to store and pour expensive liquids, such as olive oil, perfumes, and ointments. The vessel's narrow neck was a deliberate feature, restricting the flow to a thin stream to conserve the valuable oil, which was used both in daily life—for bathing and anointing the body at the gymnasium—and most significantly, in funerary rites. While other shapes were also used for oil, the lekythos became overwhelmingly associated with the practices surrounding death.

During the Classical period (5th century BCE), particularly in Athens, the lekythos became the quintessential grave offering. Its use shifted from a general oil flask to a vessel specifically intended for the dead, often found deposited in tombs or left at the grave site as a libation vessel during mourning ceremonies. The fragility of the oil, meant to anoint the deceased, mirrored the finality and delicacy of death itself. This funerary function led to the widespread adoption of the specialized White-Ground technique for decorating these vases. This method involved coating the reddish clay body with a creamy white slip, which was less durable than the standard black- or red-figure painting but allowed for a wider range of colors and more delicate, expressive brushwork, fitting the solemn context.

The scenes painted on funerary lekythoi provide invaluable insight into ancient Greek beliefs about death and the afterlife. The narrow body often features a single, focused scene, typically depicting rituals at the tomb, such as the prothesis (laying out of the dead), the deceased warrior's departure, or visits by mourners who bring offerings. Other common motifs include mythological scenes of transition, like Hermes (the conductor of souls) leading the deceased, or Charon (the ferryman of the dead). In the 4th century BCE, the form was even translated into monumental marble sculptures, which, standing up to a meter tall, served as impressive and lasting grave markers, adapting the ritual offering into a permanent memorial to the deceased.