Terracotta pelike (jar)

Art Historical Context

This elegant terracotta pelike, by the Underworld Painter around 330–310 BCE, hails from the Apulian region of South Italy during the Hellenistic period. Standing at 19 5/8 inches tall, this squat jar with its wide mouth was designed for storing oils or perfumes, a practical form that doubled as a canvas for vibrant storytelling. The Underworld Painter, a master of red-figure vase painting, earned his name from dramatic depictions of the afterlife, but his works often blended mythology with lively human scenes, reflecting the cultural fusion of Greek colonists in Magna Graecia. Adorned with f...