Oinochoe (Pitcher) in the Shape of a Female Head
about 450 BCE
Medium
terracotta, red-figure
Dimensions
14 × 6.7 × 8.9 cm (5 1/2 × 2 5/8 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
pitcher (vessel)
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
40894
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Three manufacturing techniques were employed to produce this vessel. The lower portion, in the shape of a woman’s face, was made in a mold; the shoulder, neck, and mouth of the pitcher were formed on a potter’s wheel; and the handle was fashioned by hand. The woman's flesh and thick, centrally parted hair are the natural color of the clay, but her brows and the contours of her eyes and irises are drawn in black. Her sclerae are white, and her irises are brown.
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...