Daunian, ca. 550-400 B.C.

Terracotta

H: 11.5 cm (4.3 in)

Serial: 35496 

The Iapyges, a population which occupied the Apulian part of southern Italy before the arrival of the first Greek settlers, gave us a most interesting ceramic production. Proof is this askos, a vase intended to serve liquids, with a mouth on the top and a large spout with a filter on the side. It features a duck's head, as seen by the shape of the beak, extending to show the tail of the animal along the spout. The rich polychrome still emphasizes
the plumage and gives the vase all its volume to illustrate the globular body of this aquatic bird, accustomed to being left to float on the water.

Provenance

The Gilbert collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts, acquired in New York, 24 November 1995.

Exhibited

La Biennale, Grand Palais, Paris, 11-17 September 2019;

PAD London, Berkeley Square, London, 30 September 6 - October 2019

Published

The Gilbert Collection: by Phoenix Ancient Art, New York, 2019, No. 270