For a 3D model made by the Virtual Curation Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, see https://skfb.ly/orZDv.
AWG0000.03.05
Greek, South Italian (Apulian)
Late Classical period (400-300 BCE)
Material: Ceramic
Technique: Black-glazed
Weight: 107g
Dimensions: 5.7 cm high, base diameter 4 cm, max. diameter 9.5 cm
Condition: good; entirely intact, with some mineral encrustation
Provenance: Unknown
Source/donor: Collection of Stuart L. Wheeler
Date of acquisition: Prior to 1990
Research by: Hunter Hagan, ’22
Detailed description of form/shape:
Small, round cup with a horizontal handle of triangular-loop shape, squared in section. Rim slightly out-turned, with a squared lip. Rounded base with tall ring foot.
Detailed description of decoration:
Black slip applied to red-orange clay over the whole surface of the vessel, except for the bottom of the ring foot (which is reserved). A band of black slip around the top portion of the body was applied better than on the lower portion. The splotchy finish reflects uneven conditions in the kiln during the firing process.
Comparanda:
A very close parallel for both the shape and style is the Apulian (South Italian) cup, Metropolitan Museum of Art 1971.11.7. For an earlier one-handled black-glazed small cup of a different shape, see the Etruscan cup in the Penn Museum MS5827.
Discussion:
Black-glazed cups were widespread throughout the Mediterranean in the Classical period, with the one-handled version “one of the commonest shapes in the black glaze repertoire” (Sparkes and Talcott 1970, 126). The small size of this cup and the triangular shape of its handle are most comparable with fourth-century cups like the Apulian one in the Metropolitan Museum noted above, though the foot on our cup is taller and the rim is slightly out-turned. Our cup also differs from the Met cup in having a matte rather than glossy black slip. Small cups like this may have been intended for use by children or for symbolic use as votive offerings at sanctuaries or in graves.
Bibliography:
“Cup, One-Handled.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255319.
“Cup.” MS5827 | Collections - Penn Museum, April 21, 2021. https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/114893.
Sparkes, Brian A. and Lucy Talcott. Black and Plain Pottery of the 6th, 5th and 4th Centuries B.C. The Athenian Agora: Results of Excavations Conducted by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. XII. Princeton: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1970. https://doi.org/10.2307/3601975.