Terracotta situla (bucket)

A dark, footed terracotta bucket-shaped vessel with two looped handles ending in animal or satyr heads. Around the body, raised figures in long draped garments stand between sprays of foliage, with gilt highlights picking out their folds and the rim. The matte black surface and relief decoration suggest a Hellenistic or Etruscan workshop.

Look closer: Traces of gilding remain on the figures' folds and the rim, easy to overlook against the dark surface.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 3rd century BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1500 × 2000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1927