Vase in the shape of a cock, second half of 7th century b.c.
Etruscan
Terracotta
Technical Glossary
Etruscan
Terracotta
H. 4 1/16 in. (10.3 cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1924 (24.97.21ab)
This small Bucchero vase has been variously interpreted as a toy, a small jug, and an inkstand. It was used certainly as a container, with the head serving as a cork. The small ring on its back shows that the vessel was either suspended or carried. The tail of the cock, now missing, most likely curved downward to form a third foot. In addition to the decoration incised on the head and body, twenty-six letters of the Etruscan alphabet are inscribed on the belly of the vessel.
