ARYBALLOS OIL JAR

A small globular oil jar hand-formed from pale buff clay, with a narrow neck, flat rim, and a single strap handle joining rim to shoulder. The form was virtually unchanged across three centuries of Greek production. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, the aryballos evolved its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style of the 8th century BC.  Examples like this were carried daily to the gymnasium and the baths. The surface has absorbed over 2,700 years of age into a warm sandy tone, marked with the dark mineral staining of burial and time. A small object made for daily use now used as a small sculptural element for the home. 

GREEK, 7C BC
2½" x 2½"