Terracotta lydion (perfume jar)
As indicated by its name, the lydion (perfume vase) originated in Lydia, a region in western Anatolia. Its capital city Sardis was an important center of cross-cultural interactions between Greece and the Near East. This lydion is exceptional, as it is an unusual shape in the Attic repertoire, and exceedingly rare with figural decoration. In addition to the shape, the decoration further emphasizes a connection with the Near East, where bands of animals were common.
Artwork Details
- Title: Terracotta lydion (perfume jar)
- Date: end of the 6th century BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Terracotta
- Dimensions: 3 9/16 × 2 3/4 in. (9 × 7 cm)
- Classification: Vases
- Credit Line: Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020
- Object Number: 2021.40.20
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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4th century BCE
late 10th–early 9th century BCE
Attributed to a painter of the Princeton Group
ca. 540–530 BCE
4th quarter of the 6th century BCE
mid-6th century BCE
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