Fluted Water Jar and Stand

A necklace added in gold paint hangs around the neck of this black-glaze hydria made in one of the Greek colonies in Apulia in South Italy. The vessel and its columnar stand were made as two separate pieces. In the 300s B.C., as the red-figure technique of vase-painting declined, a style of pottery with a black-glaze surface and only minimal gilded decoration came to the fore. Whereas in earlier Greek pottery the skills of the potter were often eclipsed by the showier work of the vase-painter, the work of the potter took precedence in black-glaze pottery. These potters took their inspiration from vessels made of metal, presumably gold, silver, or bronze. The plain, shiny surface, the ribbing on the body, and the tall, pedestal-like base are all features of metalwork.