330–310 BC
Greek (South Italian, Paestan)
Ceramics
Containers-Vessels
terracotta
South Italy
Overall: 16 × 15 5/8 in. (40.64 × 39.69 cm)
81.72

In Greek and Roman religion, offerings were made to the gods prior to most undertakings. Here, a warrior prepares to depart for war while a woman pours out a libation (liquid offering). The woman’s headdress and the feathers on the warrior’s helmet are native Italic attire, not Greek, which suggests that the vase was made for a non-Greek market.

Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
“The Art of South Italy: Vases from Magna Graecia,” Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond, VA): 12 May-8 August 1982; Philbrook Art Center (Tulsa, OK): 20 November 1982-9 January 1983; The Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, MI): 7 February-10 April 1983.
December 1981 (Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York); [1] purchased by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond; accessioned into VMFA collection March 18, 1982. [2]

[1] In the object file, there is a letter from Dale Trendall to VMFA curator Margaret Mayo, dated November 20, 1981, recommending the museum bid for this object at the December 9, 1981 auction at Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York. In the auction cataloguem the object is listed as “Property from a Private Collection.”

[2] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration records.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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