ITEM: Chalice, fragment MATERIAL: Pottery CULTURE: Etruscan PERIOD: 7th - 6th Century B.C DIMENSIONS: 130 mm x 170 mm x 120 mm (without stand) CONDITION: Good condition PROVENANCE: Ex European private collection, Ex Lakythos S.A.R.L (1987), Ex Galerie Hydra, Geneva, Switzerland (1984) Etruscan pottery is best known for its two distinct indigenous wares: Impasto and the highly characteristic Bucchero. Impasto, the earlier and coarser form, was a utilitarian pottery made from unrefined clay and was used for basic vessels like storage jars and cooking pots, as well as funerary urns. However, the true signature of Etruscan ceramic art is Bucchero ware, which developed around 675 BCE. Distinguished by its uniform glossy black color, which penetrates both the surface and the core, Bucchero was achieved through a unique manufacturing process called reduction firing. This involved starving the kiln of oxygen, causing the iron oxide in the clay to turn black, and was then finished with a burnishing process to create a high, metallic sheen. The most refined examples are the thin-walled bucchero sottile, which were eventually replaced by the heavier bucchero pesante toward the 6th century BCE. The shapes and decoration of Etruscan pottery were significantly influenced by interaction and trade with foreign cultures, especially the Greeks. Bucchero ware, in particular, often mimicked the sharp lines and forms of precious metal vessels imported from the Near East and the Mediterranean, providing a less expensive, ceramic luxury for the elite. Decoration on Bucchero was typically understated, featuring geometric designs, simple incised lines, or patterns of dots created with a toothed wheel. Later Etruscan potters also produced painted ceramics, such as Etrusco-Corinthian and the Etruscan versions of Black-Figure and Red-Figure techniques, which were direct adaptations or "provincial imitations" of the highly prized Greek vases that the Etruscans collected in vast numbers. Etruscan vase painting flourished from the 7th to the 4th centuries BCE, closely following the stylistic trends of Greek art. Initially, Etruscan black-figure painting was influenced by Corinthian and East Greek models, notably seen in the Pontic style. 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.