Ancient CyprusAncient Cyprus
Terracotta jug, Archaic I Cypriot
Terracotta jug, Archaic I Cypriot, c. 750–600 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 74.51.510.Open Access by the MET

Archaic I

Terracotta jug

In vase-painting of mainland Greece, floral and foliate ornament is always contained and precise. This jug and 74.51.509 are noteworthy for the almost tropical lushness that envelops the body of the vase and the four figures on it. An elaborate central lotus stalk is flanked by two birds. Behind them, a winged stag grazes on the left, a winged doe turns as she walks away on the right. The stylistic contrast to the hard-edged depictions of birds and fish is noteworthy. It is not clear whether the reason is purely artistic or in some way iconographic. 9 3/8 × 7 1/8 in. (23.8 × 18.1 cm)

Classification

Object type
Pottery vessel
Shape
Jug
Decoration
Painted
Motif
Other plants and flowers
Material
Clay
Period
Iron AgeCypro-ArchaicCypro-Archaic I
Date
750 - 600 BC
Place of production
Cyprus
Findspot
Kition

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Provenance

  • “Found at Citium” (Cesnola 1894, pl. CVI. 857, 858) Before 1874, found at Kition, Cyprus; until 1874, collection of Luigi Palma di Cesnola; acquired in 1874, purchased from L.P. di Cesnola.

References

Identifiers

Accession no.
74.51.510, Metropolitan Museum of Art
In catalogues
  • Myres 1914, no. 752
  • Markoe 1985, no. 40
  • Karageorghis 2000, no. 158

Photographs in the Archive

5 older photographs of this object, matched by its numbers or by comparing the photographs. Each links to its record in the Archive.

  • Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, C08703a. Public domain (CC0).
  • Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, C08703C0. Public domain (CC0).
  • Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, Csn3667a. Public domain (CC0).
  • Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, C08703b. Public domain (CC0).
  • Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, C08703. Public domain (CC0).

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