South Italian, ca. 4th century B.C.

Terracotta

H: 27cm, D: 34.5 cm

Serial: 3232

Provenance: Ex- Hirshman collection; Sotheby's, London, 9 December 1993, lot 61.

This bell-krater is a beautiful example of the marriage of form and function: elegantly painted, this vase is a wine-mixing vessel par excellence. The obverse of this vessel shows vines with bunches of grapes and ivy leaves. These motifs are strongly associated with Dionysos, the Greek god of wine, so it is unsurprising that they should appear on a vessel made to hold, mix and dispense wine at symposia (drinking parties). The reverse of the vase is undecorated. The two handles on either side of the krater are in the shape of lion's heads.
This krater is an example of Gnathia ware, a product of 4th century Apulia (modern-day day Puglia) a region in south-eastern Italy which was colonized by Greek settlers who produced fine pottery, influenced and inspired by Classical Greek vases. Gnathia ware is distinguished by its colorful decoration (both ornamental, as we see here, and figural) which was applied directly to the black-glaze on the surface of the vase.