#proto-corinthian

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Perfume bottle (aryballos) with lion-head mouth. Artist: attributed to the Chigi Painter Date: 640 B.C. Place of origin: Corinth Place of excavation: Thebes Period/culture: Proto-Corinthian

[archaicwonder]

Proto-Corinthian Aryballos, c. 640 BC

The "MacMillan Aryballos" is a perfume bottle with a lion-head mouth, attributed to the Chigi Painter. The bottle takes its name from a former owner, Malcolm Macmillan, who gave it to The British Museum in 1889. It was manufactured in Corinth but found in Thebes, Greece. Despite its tiny size, the main figure scene on this bottle displays no fewer than seventeen fully-armed warriors. They are locked in combat, thrusting their spears, jostling for position, or falling to the ground. Each warrior is armed with plumed helmet, spear and blazoned shield. Some are realistically streaked with blood. Two further figure scenes below show a horse-race and a hare-hunt. The upper part of the bottle takes the form of a lion’s head, its mouth open to display rows of fearsome teeth and a red tongue.

In the seventh century BC, Corinth took the lead in the development of fine painted pottery. It specialized in the production of small perfume vessels covered with a dense and intricate network of animals and flowers. This style, known as Proto-Corinthian, is characterized by designs in silhouette with added colour and incision. It is the earliest use of the black-figure technique, which was to dominate the production of fine painted pottery throughout the Greek world until the end of the sixth century BC.

[archaicwonder]

Greek Proto-Corinthian Owl Aryballos, c. 630 BC

Proto-Corinthian style Greek pottery is a style that flourished at Corinth during the Oriental period (c. 725–c. 600 BC). Proto-Corinthian pottery, most of which is miniature in size, was the first to be decorated in the black-figure painting technique: figure silhouettes drawn in black and filled in with incised details. The principal motifs, which mirror Middle Eastern styles, are animals in procession and human figures, sometimes in mythical scenes. The small aryballos (scent or oil bottle) is an especially common shape.

[fatalbellman]

Grecian proto-Corinthian aryballoi (perfume flasks), c. 7th century BC