Late 5th century B.C. A terracotta black-glaze lekythos (oil flask) with handle, a frieze of painted linked palmettes around the upper body, solid colour below and to the mouth, parallel tracks of dashes around the shoulder. Cf. Haywood, C. (ed.), Death in White and Colour, an Exhibition of Attic White Lekythoi of the 5th c.BC., Dublin, 1997, figs.1 (b), pl.2. 82.8 grams, 14 cm high (5 1/2 in.). Acquired 1980s-1990s. Collection of Mr H. N., Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK. Apanied by an old collection photograph with a handwritten cataloguing note attached. The lekythos was a clay container for oil. During the 5th century, its body was nearly cylindrical and the decoration was black-figure on red-or white-ground (like in our case), red figure on black-ground, or outline on white-ground. The cylindrical lekythos is the only type of vase to which Athenians are known to have applied white slip regularly over a considerable period of time, when the bulk of their decorated pottery was black-or red-figure.