Fragment of a Funerary Lekythos (Monument in the Shape of an Oil Jar)
4th century BCE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
55.3 × 43.7 × 17.2 cm (22 × 17 1/4 × 6 3/4 in.)
Classification
marble
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
198468
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This stone fragment takes the shape of a lekythos, a small terracotta jar of oil that was often left at a grave just as we might leave flowers today. Inscriptions identify the three figures. The bearded man at left is named Leon and was from Halai (located northwest of Athens). He clasps hands with Demagora, who sits before him and is presumably his wife. Their daughter, Helike, stands behind her mother and watches the couple bid an eternal farewell, although it is unclear which of the three has...
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...