Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

A slender terracotta lekythos standing on a disc foot, with a narrow neck and flared mouth. The shoulder bears a band of red and black dots, and the body shows a black-figure scene of a striding figure beside a crouching winged creature, likely a sphinx, between horizontal black bands. The lower body is darkened with wear and firing marks.

Look closer: Small red dots decorate the band just below the shoulder, a faint frieze that is easy to overlook.

Artist

Emporion Painter

Date

1st quarter of 5th century BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2048 × 2048 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1941