Ancient Greece, Pyxis in ceramic from the 4th century B.C. Along with TL test. - 37 cm

Superb Greek Canosa pyxis, dating to the 4th century BC, is a magnificent example of polychrome pottery from southern Italy, specifically from the Apulian region, where the Hellenistic tradition fused with local elements from the Greek colonies established in the region. The finely modeled and decorated ceramic piece features a spheroidal body divided into two interlocking halves, supported by a small annular foot, and topped by a truncated cone-shaped neck with a knob-shaped end. Measuring 37 cm in height and 27 cm in maximum diameter, this vessel not only served as a container—for ointments, jewelry, or small objects for ritual or funerary use—but also as a narrative and symbolic medium for a refined visual language.

The decoration combines black paint and polychrome in reddish, pink, ochre, blue, and green tones, a characteristic feature of the Canosa workshops (present-day Canosa di Puglia), which flourished in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC under the direct influence of Attic-Apulian ceramics. In the lower half, the broad black plant motifs—radial palmettes and symmetrical volutes—compose a solemn ornamental band that serves as a transition to the more narrative and pictorial upper part.

The upper part depicts remarkably dynamic figurative scenes, executed with fine lines and subdued colors. A battle between winged warriors, one of them mounted on horseback, is discernible, suggesting a possible mythical or heroic allusion. The blue-green wings, the decorated shields, and the opposing positions indicate a scene of symbolic battle or confrontation, perhaps between warrior Eros or daemons, a recurring iconography in the funerary contexts of late Apulian ceramics, where warlike and erotic motifs took on a sense of transition between life and death.

Another section of the vessel displays architectural motifs: stylized Ionic columns and jars or craters between them, from whose capitals jets of water appear to flow into lower vessels, a representation that could evoke ritual fountains or Dionysian elements, alluding to purification or abundance. The upper frieze, with its alternating colors, reinforces the ornamental sense of the ensemble and frames the narrative scene.

The work is in good condition, with visible remains of the original polychromies and traces of surface wear attributable to the passage of time. The thermoluminescence test confirms its archaeological authenticity.

This type of Canossa pyxis is associated with female funerary goods and cult practices related to death and regeneration, where color and iconography served an apotropaic function. Its polychromies distinguish it from the red- and black-figure pottery of earlier periods, introducing a pictorial language closer to Hellenistic muralism, heralding the transition to the freer and more expressive aesthetics of the Postclassical period.

Parallels to similar pieces can be found in the collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and the British Museum, where examples of Apulian pyxis with polychrome decoration attributable to the so-called Canossa Painter, characterized by winged scenes and stylized architectural structures.

Acquired from a European private collection, G.B in the 80's.
-The piece includes an authenticity certificate as well as the TL test. Small repairs on the pyxis.

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