The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

This unique vessel represents the Italo-Geometric ceramic tradition in which workshops experimented with new forms and artistic motifs popular in other regions, particularly those from Euboea, Greece. The overall form resembles that of a tall cup with a wide bowl and animal attachments, specifically bulls, on the rim. Unusually, the bowl is open at the base and joins with a hollow foot of the vessel, which may have allowed for libations to be poured directly through it. While the shape is without exact parallel, the decorative motifs, including the birds and wavy parallel lines painted on the exterior, are similar to those on vases produced at the site of Vulci, Italy. Additionally, the style of the decoration and the experimental shape have led scholars to attribute it to the Workshop of the Ticinese Crater, which was active at Vulci in the latter half of the 8th century BCE. The vessel has been previously repaired.