Terracotta alabastron (perfume vase)

Attributed to the Beth Pelet Painter
ca. 460 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171
Obverse, upper zone, women at home; lower zone, youth pursuing woman
Reverse, upper and lower zones, women at home

In Attic pottery of the fifth century B.C., the phenomenon of superposed or concentric rows of decoration occasionally appears. It is best represented on kraters, among the large shapes; on cups and bobbins, among vases with a circular format; and on alabastra. The iconography of this alabastron resembles that of many pyxides (boxes with lids)—the confinement of the home and the seductions of the world beyond.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta alabastron (perfume vase)
  • Artist: Attributed to the Beth Pelet Painter
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: ca. 460 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Attic
  • Medium: Terracotta; red-figure
  • Dimensions: H. 8 3/4 in. (22.3 cm); diameter 2 5/16 in. (5.9 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1941
  • Object Number: 41.162.67
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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