Corinthian Pitcher (Olpe) with Animals
| Attributed To | The Painter of Vatican 73 |
|---|---|
| Culture | Greek |
| Title | Corinthian Pitcher (Olpe) with Animals |
| Date | 630–620 BCE |
| Medium | Terracotta and added pigment |
| Dimensions | Object: 12 × 6 3/4 in. (30.5 × 17.1 cm) Overall: 12 × 6 3/4 in. (30.6 × 17.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 75.22.2 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A pitcher with one black handle and a black neck has an ovoid body that is decorated with four buff-colored bands. Black, silhouette-like animals parade around each band a single direction, but the direction alternates in the stacking bands. The animals are delineated with painted red accents and incised details. The animals are mostly lions and panthers, but also include rabbits, ibexes, and sphinxes.
This pitcher is a fine example of the Corinthian pottery style. Like the earlier Geometric style, it is characterized by its organization into horizontal bands, emphasis on repeated pattern, and the interplay of dark and light. Corinthian painters, however, expanded the bands that encircle the pots, filling them not only with non-figural designs but also with images of animals (and occasionally humans). The four bands on this vessel are filled with processions of both natural and mythical creatures, including lions, panthers, birds, and sphinxes.
1975, Indiana University Art Museum purchase from Robin Symes, London, England
ca. 1970–1975, with Robin Symes, London, England [1]
Notes:
[1] Robin Symes (b. 1939) operated as an art and antiquities dealer in London from about 1970. Robin Symes Limited was founded in 1977 and dissolved in 2005.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
October 3–December 21, 2014, "Color in Classical Art," Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN
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"Corinthian Pitcher (Olpe) with Animals | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.22.2