Villanova Kyathos with Tin Inlays

Culture: Etruscan

Period: 8th-7th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta, tin

Dimensions: 11.1 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 4175

Provenance: English private collection B., acquired prior to 1990.

Condition: Intact

Description: Very rare, one-handle bowl (kyathos) abundantly engraved and decorated with tin laminates. The vessel stands on a set off ring foot, the corpus is round and expansive, the neck constricted, the rim protruding. The handle in form of a stylized animal head facing outside with cylindrical horns and a flat, protruding snout. The neck of the animal originates semi-circularly from the rim of the vessel. The animal’s head, which served as a thumb rest, is connected via a bar with a vertical decorative strip, which reaches from the corpus to the snout. The entire vessel is intensively decorated with tin bands inlayed in the engravings. The ornaments depict squares with labyrinths, wavy bands, zigzag motives and triangles. Outside on the neck three sculptural humps. See for the type and for the decoration the Villanova kyathos with tin laminates in the Israel Museum with the accession number 84.66.240.