Ancient Xenon Lekanis, Magna Graecia, (3247)

Description

This ancient pottery xenon ware lekanis is from Apulia in Magna Graecia, the Roman name for the South Italy coastal area. Colonized by the Greeks in the 6th century B.C.E. Greek settlers arrived with their Hellenic culture intact and greatly influenced Italian civilization.

A lekanis is a highly decorated low shallow bowl with close-fitting top that held cosmetics. Although utilitarian, it was not made for commoners or considered coarse ware and, rather, was fine ware. The characteristic  extremely short foot was shaped by carving clay away from the bottom of the body before it was fired. Although utilitarian, A lekanis was not made for commoners or considered coarse ware and, rather, was fine ware. Fathers filled them with jewelry and gave them to their daughters as wedding gifts. Xenon ware pottery style originated in Apulian pottery from the 4th century BC. It is characterized by matte pale orange-red and salmon decoration over a rich black glazed terracotta body fired from red clay.

Painted with pale matte orange-red decoration over a black earthenware terracotta body, this lekanis  has a geometric meander across center, a decorative band of tapering vertical lines on the shoulder and a thin line around the lower body. As usual with such pieces that are more than two millennia old, there is some fading of the painted decoration and small chips in the black glaze around the rim and elsewhere, which reveal the color of the red clay body. However, this piece is in remarkably good condition for its age. For another 4^th century piece from Apulia, see item 1368LME.

Pieces like this were presented by fathers to their daughters on their wedding day in ancient times.

AI Summary Comments 

Xenon ware  miniature red-figure lekanides were produced in large quantities by the workshops of Apulia to serve as everyday utility items, vanity gifts, and grave goods. However, they are rare in terms of their exceptional state of preservation and market completeness. Finding a fragile miniature cosmetic box that still retains its original, flush-fitting lid after 2,400 years, is a distinct rarity on the private art market. A miniature lekanis  is highly sought after in the antiquities market because it is an ancient, miniature time capsules of classical daily life. Having an intact matching lid with a clear, identifiable distinct profile scales its appeal significantly higher than pieces featuring only simple geometric palmettes.