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A Spectacular Greek Apulian Situla

Currency:USD Category:Antiquities Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:5,500.00 - 7,500.00 USD
A Spectacular Greek Apulian Situla
From the Apulian region of southern Italy, ca. 330 B.C. The spout is in the shape of the head of a satyr, or rather in the shape of a theatre mask of a satyr, with wide open mouth. His lips are yellow and a wreath and a red fillet were added to the head. Inside the spout, behind the mouth, a strainer was added to prevent irregularities in the contents of the situla to be poured out. Another face, that of a woman, possibly a maenad, was added to the other side of the body of the situla; this face was mould-made. The situla has a ring foot and an arching, double handle. The underside and inner side of the foot, lower part of body and upper rim with reddish glazing, the rest with black glazing, some yellow and red colour for the decoration of the spout.
Situlae with a clay handle are rare. Vessels like this were used to mix water and wine. The shape imitates a metal bucket; see Rainer Vollkommer, Unteritalische Vasen. (Kleine Reihe des Antikenmuseums der Universität Leipzig, 2) (Leipzig, Universitätsverlag, 1995), p. 30, and Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Deutschland 72: Hannover, Kestner Museum 2, (München, C.H. Beck, 2000), pl. 57, 4-6; 58, 1-2.

For the shape of the situla, with handle and spout in the shape of a head, compare also a vessel in Toledo (Inv. no. 73.7; that vessel also has a decorated body; see J. Richard Green, "Gnathia and Other Overpainted Wares of Italy and Sicily: a Survey", in Évelyne Geny (ed., sous la direction de Pierre Lévêque et Jean-Paul Morel), Céramiques Hellénistiques et Romaines III (Besançon, Presses Universitaires Franc-Comtoises, 2001), 57-103, esp. p. 89, no. 15). For the idea compare also Anneliese Kossatz-Deißmann, "Eine neue Phrygerkopf-Situla des Toledo-Malers", Archäologischer Anzeiger 1990 (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut), p. 505-520. A comparable spout can also be found in Leipzig, Antikenmuseum der Universität, inv. no. T951, see Vollkommer, o.c., p. 30-32, no. 18 (illustrated).

Dimensions: Height: 16.9 cm, maximum width 15.4 cm, diameter 11.5 cm, diameter of opening 8.1 cm.

Provenance: Swiss private collection C.A., Geneva; previously with Jean-David Cahn, Basel, Switzerland (Auction 4, 2002, no. 257, pl. 34).

Condition report
Intact with some normal wear and minor scratches and other damage, as visible of the photographs. There are some minor stress cracks where the handle is attached to the vessel, but since some of these do not continue but stop on the vessel's body it seems that the handle was not reattached; it is impossible to be sure about this. A small part of the red ribbon missing on the proper right hand side of the satyr's head (ca. 5 mm), where layers of red and yellow cross each other; this is hardly noticeable. Some retouching of the black glaze on a few spots of the body, professionally done so that it is almost impossible to detect, even under ultraviolet light. In excellent condition overall.