Terracotta jug with a pitcher-spout

310–150 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171
This jug is a variation on a type of Cypriot vessel that has a figurine holding the oinochoe, which serves as its spout. Despite the absence of such a figure, which when present often helps to date jugs of this kind, the overall form of the pitcher identifies it as a product of the Hellenistic period. The wreaths and fillets painted on the white-slip ground are funerary motifs often seen on white ground lekythoi, vases specifically used as grave gifts. Of particular interest are the small clay "rivets" visible at the top of the back handle, which relates this clay jug to a metal prototype.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta jug with a pitcher-spout
  • Period: Hellenistic
  • Date: 310–150 BCE
  • Culture: Cypriot
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Dimensions: h. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
  • Object Number: 74.51.544
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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