Apulian Gnathia Bell Krater

An ancient Apulian Greek small Gnathia bell krater decorated in applied red, white, and gold with a bawdy theatrical scene of two actors of grotesque appearances: the male figure, dressed in a red kilt, standing on a stage indicated by a dotted line carrying another male figure dressed as a nude female on his shoulders, with two open windows in the background, surrounded by olive branches and a decorative top border.

Apulia, Magna Graecia, South Eastern Italy.

Ca. 350 - 300 BC.

Height: 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm).

Gnathia ware is so named as it was first found at the Apulian site of Egnathia. The black glaze ware is often decorated with applied red, white, or yellow painted floral motifs. Production probably was centered around Taras, with workshops in Egnathia, Canosa and Sicily.The output and quality of the Greek colonial potters working in Southern Italy increased greatly following the Peloponnesian War when Attic exports fell off sharply. South Italian Colonial Greek craftsmanship of the 4th century BC was an amalgamation of the Ionian (Athenian, Attic) conventions, and Doric (western colonial Greek) styles, with a noticeable native Italian aesthetic. The five predominant regional schools of South Italian pottery were: Apulian, Sicilian, Lucanian, Paestan, and Campanian.

Formerly in an American private collection.

Inv#: 8811

Guaranteed Authentic

$10,000