Terracotta trick vase
The vase has the head of a woman and, at its widest point, the muzzle of a bull with a projecting spout for its nose. The container was filled through the foot, which is open, and emptied through the spout. Zoomorphic and anthropomorphic vases had been made on Cyprus since the second millennium B.C. During the Archaic period, vases were often given female attributes. Such works usually occur in tombs but they may first have been used as ritual vessels in sanctuaries.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta trick vase
- Period: Cypro-Archaic I
- Date: ca. 750–600 BCE
- Culture: Cypriot
- Medium: Terracotta
- Dimensions: 9 13/16 × 8 1/4 × 5 1/2 in. (24.9 × 21 × 14 cm)
- Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
- Object Number: 74.51.564
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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Cypriot
ca. 750–600 BCE
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ca. 400–323 BCE
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850–750 BCE
Cypriot
850–750 BCE
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600–400 BCE
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