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Grave marker in the form of an oil flask (lekythos)
Greek
Classical Period
about 420–410 B.C.
Place of Manufacture: Greece, Attica, Athens
Medium/Technique
Marble from Mount Pentelikon near Athens
Dimensions
Height : 76 cm (29 15/16in.)
Credit Line
Anna Mitchell Richards Fund and 1931 Purchase Fund
Accession Number38.1615
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 040; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 107 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe marble lekythos illustrates a seated female on the right and smaller standing female on the left in low relief. The seated figure rests on a chair called a klismos while holding a mirror in her left hand and tugging at her himation or cloak in her right hand. Under her himation she wears a high-waisted chiton. A double fillet covers her hair and ends in a sakkos or snood at the back of her head. She props her crossed feet on a low stool and gazes downwards. The smaller standing figure with short cropped hair wears a sleeveless peplos with a large fold over her torso. Gazing at the nearby seated woman, she holds a rectangular box with an open lid. The figures are bordered by a shallow ground line and a deeper line above their heads.
Condition: Irregular break at the neck. Most of the neck is missing as is the mouth and handle of the lekythos. The rough marble surface is covered in a pink patina. The foot and base are modern restorations.
Condition: Irregular break at the neck. Most of the neck is missing as is the mouth and handle of the lekythos. The rough marble surface is covered in a pink patina. The foot and base are modern restorations.
Provenance1933, consigned by Roussos (dealer), Athens, through Harold Woodbury Parsons, Boston, to Brummer Gallery, New York (consignment no. X712); 1934, sold by Roussos to Brummer Gallery (stock no. P11096); 1938, sold by Brummer Gallery to the MFA for $7200. (Accession Date: November 10, 1938)