Ionian Black Figure Amphora /

Ionian Black Figure Amphora. Greek Archaic (East Greek), second half of the 6th Century B.C. This amphora is intact; in places, the paint was lightly restored. The body is in the shape of a teardrop with a small molding at the base of the neck and a rounded lip; the handles are thick and ribbed; the foot, modeled separately and attached after the throwing, has a straight angular edge.

Two does with spotted coats are painted onto the shoulders of the vase in the black figure technique: one is simply in the middle of grazing while the other is represented in a surprising, but very naturalistic, gesture, scratching her head with a hind leg while remaining perfectly balanced. The proportions of the animals are very elegant, with long delicate legs, long neck and slender, svelte body; some incisions highlight certain anatomical details of the head, the musculature and the hide. Precise observation of movement and the realism of the posture are typical elements of East Greek art: in addition to the gesture of the doe pawing at her forehead with a hoof, one will also note the detail of the alert ears, portraying the constant vigilance of these animals, who are ready at all times, as if the painter wanted to emphasize that swift escape is the principal mode of defense against attacks from predators. There are also some electrum staters (coins) from Ionia with very similar motifs of does. Even if the style here is very close to that of figures painted on Attic black figure vases, the subject does appear on East Greek ceramics (second half of the 7th century).

The rest of the decoration is simple and linear: a banded body – the top line represents the ground on which we find the does – and zones that are completely painted (foot, lip, interior of the neck, handles).

Provenance: Ex-Lord and Lady Plowden Collection, acquired prior to 1944.