Classical World, Etruria, Late 5th to early 4th century BCE. A stunning Etruscan skyphos depicting an owl on one side and a laureate head of a woman on the obverse. Beneath the loop handles are lovely stylized palmettes with tendrils. The technique employed for the painted iconographic/decorative program was similar to Six’s technique used by Attic black-figure painters. This involved using layers of red or white pigment on the surface and incising details so that the black shows through. A Dutch scholar by the name of Jan Six first described this technique in 1888, hence the term Six technique. A fabulous example, as Etruscan owl skyphoi are exceptionally rare, and this combination of owl and female head motifs makes it even rarer. Size: 6.125″ W x 3.25″ H (15.6 cm x 8.3 cm)
Provenance: ex New York, New York collection; ex South German private collection, acquired in the 1950s; ex J.M.E. collection, New York, acquired in Munich, July 2006
