Ancient Greek Pottery Skyphos, Ex BONHAMS. Spanish Export License. (No Reserve Price)

ITEM: Skyphos
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Greek
PERIOD: 4th - 2nd Century B.C
DIMENSIONS: 67 mm x 144 mm x 84 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex German private collection, acquired before 2000s, Ex Bonhams sale

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and European Union export license

If you bid outside European Union and win the item, we must request a new export license to your country and the shipment will delay between 3 - 5 weeks.

The skyphos is a fundamental form of ancient Greek pottery, known primarily as a deep, two-handled drinking cup used extensively for wine. Unlike the shallower kylix, the skyphos has a notably deeper body and often sits on a low, broad base or none at all. Its handles are a defining feature and come in two main varieties: horizontal, ear-shaped loops that project from the rim (common in both Corinthian and Athenian styles), or a mixed design where one handle is horizontal and the other is vertical, a type sometimes known as a glaux (owl) skyphos. The sturdiness and capacity of the skyphos made it a popular vessel for everyday consumption and particularly well-suited for the all-male drinking party, the symposium, where it was a staple of the social and ritualistic drinking.

The skyphos shape remained remarkably consistent from the Geometric period (c. 900–700 BCE) onward, with its decoration evolving alongside the major stylistic shifts in Greek vase painting. Early examples were adorned with the geometric patterns of the time, such as meanders and checkerboard motifs. As the Orientalizing and then the Archaic periods began, the skyphos became a canvas for the emerging figurative styles. It was frequently decorated using the black-figure technique, where silhouetted figures were painted against the red clay background, and later in the red-figure technique, which allowed for greater detail and naturalism in the depiction of human and mythological scenes. This continuity in form, coupled with evolving decorative styles, highlights the skyphos's enduring relevance in Greek society.

The skyphos served as a medium for some of the finest narrative art produced in ancient Greece, offering insights into Greek mythology, daily life, and the rituals of the symposium. Painters used the deep, curved surface to illustrate complex scenes, often featuring gods, heroes, or the raucous nature of the drinking party. Beyond terracotta, skyphoi were also crafted from precious metals like silver and gold, indicating their value as elite objects for display and commemoration. While the deep cup form ensured practicality for drinking, the painted scenes transformed the vessel into a piece of portable art, solidifying the skyphos's place not just as a piece of ancient crockery, but as a cultural artifact integral to understanding the social and artistic landscape of the Greek world.