Greek 5th-4th cent. B.C. Bronze.

H. 11 39/64 in; 29.5 cm

Vessel with cylindrical body and slightly protruding, flat ring base. Broad, flaring mouth with egg-and-dart and bead-and-reel ornamentation on the rim. The original bronze surface shines brightly in places on the inside and outside.

Situlae were used at symposia as containers for wine or as vessels in which wine and water were mixed. In this context, situlae were also given to the dead in richly furnished tombs. There is also evidence of their use as urns.

Two recesses in the rim on opposite sides show where the handle was originally attached. The vessel’s wall is smooth. Lower part stabilized; some retouching.

With Pierre Bergé & Associés, Auction Sale 28.04.2007, lot 823, Paris.