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One handled jug with strainer and spout

Greek, East Greek
Orientalizing Period
Late 7th–6th century B.C.
Place of Manufacture: West Anatolia

Medium/Technique Ceramic
Dimensions Height: 14 cm (5 1/2 in.) diameter of body: 13 cm
Credit Line Harriet Otis Cruft Fund
Accession Number1972.997
ClassificationsVessels

DescriptionThis jug is both a strainer and a cup. It is filled through an opening in the underside of the foot which leads to a narrow spout that extends into the body of the vase. This interior funnel is tall enough that liquid cannot pour back out when the cup is right side up. Once full, a drinker would hold the vessel by its handle and drink from the semicircular spout. The small holes in the body of the vessel just above the spout would act as a sieve, preventing the user from imbibing contaminants (such as barley in unfiltered beer, a popular beverage in ancient Anatolia). The jug rests on a spreading foot decorated with bounding lines. The bottom zone of the body of the vase has ray patterns, the middle a guilloche design, and the top tongues painted in alternating colors. The strap handle of the vessel is also decorated with a series of chevron-like stripes.
Provenance1972, sold by Mohammad Yeganeh (dealer; b. 1929 - d. 2012), Galerie für Griechische, Römische und Byzantinische Kunst, Frankfurt, to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 13, 1972)