Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes
Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes
Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes
Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes

On view

Ancient Mediterranean Art

Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes,

ca. 490–470 BCE

Etruscan
Archaic Period or Classical Period, ca. 480–323 BCE, ca. 600–480 BCE
2018-6

These two vessels, which are almost contemporary, feature large, striking eyes. The drinking cup also includes Dionysian scenes, suggesting that it is associated with drinking wine in the symposium. However, eye cups were created specifically for export to the Etruscans, the people living in what is now central Italy, and cannot be easily associated with a solely Athenian sympotic context. The amphora speaks to this particular commodity moving between Greece and Italy: made in Italy by an Etruscan workshop, it too features prominent eyes, whose presence has been augmented here by the addition of eyebrows and a nose, making it seem as if the face belongs to the storage vessel. These two vessels are the product of the movement of objects, visual forms, and people made possible by trade between Athens and Etruria.

Information

Title
Neck amphora (storage vessel) depicting eyes
Dates

ca. 490–470 BCE

Medium
Black-figure ceramic
Dimensions
h. 38.1 cm (15 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2018-6
Place Made

Europe, Italy

Culture
Etruscan
Period
Archaic (Greek)
Type
neck amphorae
Materials
ceramic
Subject
palmettes, lotus, zigzags, eyes

Münzen und Medaillen, Basel, by 1963; André Emmerich, New York, by 1970; London market, by December 1974; Charles Ede, London, 1974–1976; J. W. Salomonson, Bilthoven, Netherlands, December 1976–2017; Rupert Wace, London, 2017; purchased by the Museum in 2018 from Rupert Wace Ancient Art.

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