Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects)
730-720 BCE
Medium
terracotta
Dimensions
25 × 33 × 33.3 cm (9 7/8 × 13 × 13 1/8 in.)
Classification
earthenware
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
50203
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Ceramic vessels decorated with repetitive linear designs were so popular during the 8th and 7th centuries BC that the term Geometric applies to both the style and the time period (800–600 BC). The body of this container is decorated with popular ornamentations, among them Greek key pattern, or meanders, as well as checkerboard patterns, dotted and crosshatched lozenges, and chevrons. The handle of this vase takes the form of horses standing side by side, suggesting a team for a four-horse chari...
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...