VILLANOVAN BLACKWARE AMPHORA
NORTH-CENTRAL ITALY, MID 9TH CENTURY B.C.
£2,142
Auction: 31 May 2023 at 15:00 BST
Description
terracotta, standing on a flat base, the wide neck and body decorated with linear sgraffito, cornuta handles
Dimensions
36cm high
Provenance
Provenance:
Bought from Gerry Eisenberg at Royal Athena Galleries in New York in 1999
Private Scottish collection since
Footnote
Note:
Before Rome became the dominant city-state on the Italian peninsula during the 6th century BCE, the region known today as Tuscany, near Florence, was the most advanced and influential. The Villanovans, who inhabited the area, were highly skilled metalworkers and potters. They practiced cremation and placed the ashes in urns, such as the typical example shown here, which was wheel-thrown and assembled. The linear design was achieved using sgraffito, and the distinctive cornuta (horned) handles, influenced by metalworking, make a striking statement. The pot was fired using a smoky reduction method, which explains its black colour.