Ancient Pottery
The Getty Villa - Los Angeles, CA
Top Left - Pomegranate vase
Circa 725-700 BC
Shaped like a pomegranate, this vessel has a spherical body decorated with horizontal bands of geometic patterns. A short stem with a flat top at one end is pierced horizontally for suspension. In Greek art, the pomegranate symbolized life and rebirth, and many similar vases have been found in graves.
The geometric patterns on this cup are characteristic of a new artistic style that emerged in Greece between 900 B.C. and 700 B.C., accordingly known as the Geometric period. Appearing first in Athens, this style quickly spread throughout the Greek world. Rows of meanders, chevrons, triangles, and checkerboard designs often covered the entire surface of decorated vases.
Middle Left - Late Geometric Cup
Circa 730 BC
The surface of this skyphos (a two-handled cup for drinking wine) is covered with geometric and linear designs. Panels filled with zigzags and hatched lines cover the entire exterior of the vessel. Around the interior, deer accompanied by birds graze against a background of similar patterns. The animals, painted in silhouette, are arranged in a single band circling the interior of the vessel.
While the geometric designs are typical of Greek vases in the Geometric period (about 900-700 B.C.), the interior figural decoration on this vessel foreshadows the flood of Near Eastern influence that would characterize Greek art in the 600s B.C. Both the animal motif and its application as a decorative band are rooted in the art of the eastern Mediterranean coast. The shallow profile of the cup and its interior animal frieze resemble Phoenician repoussé bronze bowls, which were being imported into Greece at this time. The specific motif of the grazing deer was also extremely popular in Levantine ivory sculpture in the 700s B.C.
Lower Left - Attic Geometric Trefoil Oinochoe
Circa 75-725 BC
Painted with rows of meanders, diamonds, ovals, and zigzags, this long-necked oinochoe (pitcher) has a trefoil (three-spouted) mouth, a feature that remained popular on Greek wine jugs for centuries. Raised decorative elements called mastoi (breasts) ornament the shoulders of the vase.
The geometric patterns on this vase are characteristic of a new artistic style that emerged in Greece between 900 B.C. and 700 B.C., accordingly known as the Geometric period. Appearing first in Athens, this style quickly spread throughout the Greek world. Rows of meanders, chevrons, triangles, and checkerboard designs often covered the entire surface of decorated vases. Elaborate vessels such as this one were typically placed in graves, perhaps after use at the funerary meal that was held before burial. It may have been used to pour wine for ceremonial offerings or dining.
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Ancient Pottery
The Getty Villa - Los Angeles, CA
Top Left - Pomegranate vase
Circa 725-700 BC
Shaped like a pomegranate, this vessel has a spherical body decorated with horizontal bands of geometic patterns. A short stem with a flat top at one end is pierced horizontally for suspension. In Greek art, the pomegranate symbolized life and rebirth, and many similar vases have been found in graves.
The geometric patterns on this cup are characteristic of a new artistic style that emerged in Greece between 900 B.C. and 700 B.C., accordingly known as the Geometric period. Appearing first in Athens, this style quickly spread throughout the Greek world. Rows of meanders, chevrons, triangles, and checkerboard designs often covered the entire surface of decorated vases.
Middle Left - Late Geometric Cup
Circa 730 BC
The surface of this skyphos (a two-handled cup for drinking wine) is covered with geometric and linear designs. Panels filled with zigzags and hatched lines cover the entire exterior of the vessel. Around the interior, deer accompanied by birds graze against a background of similar patterns. The animals, painted in silhouette, are arranged in a single band circling the interior of the vessel.
While the geometric designs are typical of Greek vases in the Geometric period (about 900-700 B.C.), the interior figural decoration on this vessel foreshadows the flood of Near Eastern influence that would characterize Greek art in the 600s B.C. Both the animal motif and its application as a decorative band are rooted in the art of the eastern Mediterranean coast. The shallow profile of the cup and its interior animal frieze resemble Phoenician repoussé bronze bowls, which were being imported into Greece at this time. The specific motif of the grazing deer was also extremely popular in Levantine ivory sculpture in the 700s B.C.
Lower Left - Attic Geometric Trefoil Oinochoe
Circa 75-725 BC
Painted with rows of meanders, diamonds, ovals, and zigzags, this long-necked oinochoe (pitcher) has a trefoil (three-spouted) mouth, a feature that remained popular on Greek wine jugs for centuries. Raised decorative elements called mastoi (breasts) ornament the shoulders of the vase.
The geometric patterns on this vase are characteristic of a new artistic style that emerged in Greece between 900 B.C. and 700 B.C., accordingly known as the Geometric period. Appearing first in Athens, this style quickly spread throughout the Greek world. Rows of meanders, chevrons, triangles, and checkerboard designs often covered the entire surface of decorated vases. Elaborate vessels such as this one were typically placed in graves, perhaps after use at the funerary meal that was held before burial. It may have been used to pour wine for ceremonial offerings or dining.
Right -