amphora

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Object Type
Museum number: 1896,0201.397
Description: Large pottery amphora with figural decoration in White Painted ware; ovoid-piriform body on a ring base; wide short neck, with a flat everted rim; ridge at the junction of body and neck; pair of thick, opposing vertical handles from shoulder to rim; buff-brown clay with a buff-cream slip (very worn in places) decorated with black paint: parallel bands on the body, neck and rim; rough zig-zags on one of the handles (the other has lost its slip and paint); groups of short parallel strokes around the top of the rim; on the shoulder on both sides are motifs drawn in free field: a Maltese Cross with hatched fans, and a bird facing right, in what looks like a leaping or flying motion: the body is drawn in outline with hatching within, perhaps thereby indicating the wings; the long neck, feathers shown as short oblique lines, is turned towards the left, the head shown in outline with two strokes inside for eyes and other strokes top and bottom indicating facial features; vase repaired from fragments but substantially complete apart from some chips from the rim and parts of the body.
Cultures/periods
Production date: 750BC-600BC
Production place: Made in: Cyprus
Excavator/field collector
Findspot: Excavated/Findspot: Kourion, 'Site B', tomb 24
Materials
Ware
Type series
Technique: slipped; painted; wheel-made
Dimensions: Height: 37 centimetres
Bibliographic references: Vase / Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum (C763); Murray, Smith and Walters 1900 / Excavations in Cyprus (p.82, Tomb 24 no. 1); CVA British Museum 9 / Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain 17, British Museum 9 (BM IIC,c, pl. 5,13); Karageorghis and Des Gagniers 1974 / La céramique chypriote de style figuré. Âge du Fer (1050-500 av. J.-C.) (Cat. XXV.g.3); Kiely 2011a / Kourion (24.1)
Location: Not on display
Subjects
Acquisition name
Funder name
Acquisition date: 1896
Department: Greek and Roman
Registration number: 1896,0201.397

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