Mycenaean Stirrup Jar

Culture: Mycenaean

Period: 1400-1200 B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 9.5 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 2378

Provenance: Rhenish private collection, acquired in December 1982. Thence collection Gerald Ebinger, Vienna, Austria. With a collection note.

Condition: Intact

Description: Beautifully preserved Mycenaean stirrup jar with reddish brown painting. On the bar head a large, fully painted circle which is framed by a circle on the edge. On the shoulder fan decoration. On the corpus three thick encircling bands, between them finely drawn encircling lines. The ring foot slightly offset. Stirrup jars were first produced around 1500 B.C. in Crete. The form was taken over and adapted by the Mycenaeans and was one of their most common export goods. The vessels were manufactured to hold precious liquids, such as aromatic olive oil or perfume.