Lekanis. - Thermoluminescence Test - Magna Grecia, Gnathia, 4th century BC. Ceramic. 21.5 cm length and 15 cm diameter. Provenance: Private collection, Paris, France. Acquired from Saint Germain-en-Laye, December 2, 1979. Lot 193. Condition: Excellent condition, both parts intact. It has an excellent gloss on the varnish surface, as well as root marks. Documents: Thermoluminescence test attached. Description: Lekanis decorated with black varnish and polychrome in shades of white, ochre and red. It has a low, wide cup-shaped reservoir with straight walls that open slightly towards the mouth, with a short foot with a rounded base and two horizontal handles in the shape of a ribbed ribbon. The rim has an internal step that allows the lid to sit securely. The lid has a similar structure to the body, with a domed top and a flat, stepped vertical edge, which allows the lid to be used as a container by turning it upside down. The decoration of the vase is very rich, combining a central plant motif with secondary geometric elements. The foot is undecorated, in the red colour of the clay, although its lower profile is glazed in black. The inside of the foot, although hidden, is decorated with two inscribed circles, also in black glaze. The lekanis or lecanide is a type of Greek pottery in the shape of a wide, shallow cup, with a narrow base and two horizontal handles on the rim. The upper edge was moulded to accommodate a lid almost the same size as the cup, which fitted onto it without any gap or interruption, forming a continuous wall. The lekanis was used as a jewellery box and ointment jar, which is why it was sometimes associated with marriage rituals, forming part of the bride's dowry. In fact, they often feature wedding decorations. Furthermore, as in this case, the interior is compartmentalised to facilitate the placement of items to be stored, a clear sign of its use as a jewellery box. Although there are some precedents in the Geometric period, the typology acquired its definitive form in the second half of the 6th century BC. Due to its sumptuous use, it was one of the forms preferred by ceramic painters; in the Black-Figure period they were usually without lids, but with the arrival of the Red-Figure period the lid became an important element and was richly decorated. Its shape evolved from the original domed profile, flattening out to almost form a right angle with the mouth of the cup. This lid also incorporated a wide, flat top, which could allow the lid to be used as a second cup. From the end of the 5th century BC, when Attic pottery fell into decline, the colonies of Magna Graecia developed their own ceramic productions. These Italian artists used Attic forms and techniques, but added their own formal characteristics. The main centre for the production of painted pottery in Magna Graecia was located in the region of Apulia, north of the Gulf of Taranto and east of the Apennine Mountains. Two parallel styles developed there: one called the Simple Style and the other known as the Ornamented Style. The former avoided using colours other than the basic red and black of the red-figure technique and was mainly used for small vessels such as bell-shaped krater. The latter was used mainly for larger vessels such as volute krater, amphorae, loutrophoroi and hydria. The compositions of this Ornamental Style represented up to twenty figures, many of them floating, without a ground plane, and often organised in two or more registers. This language was also characterised by the rich use of colour, with red, ochre and white being particularly prominent. Gnathia vases form an independent group within Apulian Ornamented Style pottery and date from the last quarter of the 4th century BC to the end of the 3rd century BC. They have been found in Apulia, Paestum and Campania, although the group takes its name from the Apulian city of Gnathia, now Egnazia, where the first examples were discovered. They are distinguished from the rest of Magna Graecia's production by their polychrome technique; unlike red-figure pieces, Gnathia vases were entirely covered with a black glaze on which, once fired, white, reddish and ochre pigments were applied and fixed by a second firing. White was used for the main motifs, figurative or ornamental compositions, with ochre and red being used for details and contrasting elements. There is a Sicilian variant that incorporates the use of blue, developed between the last quarter of the 4th century BC and the first quarter of the 3rd century BC. The shapes of the vases are the same as those of Apulian pottery, although they tend to be more elegant. Unlike the red-figure pottery of Magna Graecia, the vases from Gnathia were exported to other regions of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, exerting a notable influence on certain local styles. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.