Daunian Olla

Culture: Daunian

Period: 1st half of 4th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 25 cm high; 29.8 cm in diameter from one handle to the other

Price: Sold

Ref: 4213

Provenance: Viennese collection Zweymüller, acquired in the 1970s. Thence in the collection Stefan Horn.

Condition: Very minor chips on the rim, otherwise wonderfully preserved.

Description: Large and excellently preserved terracotta vessel with a light engobe and brown paint. The olla has the typical far protruding estuary and stands on a flattened base. The corpus is swaged and holds two handles, as well as two flat grips. The abundant paint depicts on the neck and shoulder encircling bands of different widths. The body is decorated with wavy lines, bands, leaf garlands and more floral decoration. In the inside of the estuary are a concentric circle and five double garlands. Ollas were used in the pre-Roman period in the south of Italy to pickle fruits and fish, as well as for the production of sour milk. With the Daunians they were also used as urns.