Jug with Orientalizing motifs

Bichrome Ware pottery, named for its two-tone decoration in red and black, was one of the most popular Cypriot ceramic types of the Iron Age. Eastern Cyprus in particular saw the development of the “free-field” technique in which painted designs roam freely over the surface of the vessel, painted in loose, casual brushstrokes. Vessels decorated in this style often appeal to modern viewers because of their light-hearted, even playful appearance. This jug with a trefoil mouth stands out for its high quality and the precision of the painting. Two large goats occupy most of the oval body of the vase, standing heraldically on their back legs and nibbling on a large stylised floral ornament. The artist took care to place the animals symmetrically to either side of the central motif, and embellished their bodies with red rosettes and a rectangle filled with small “w” shapes. [...]
The same artist almost certainly decorated two other vases, one likewise in Berlin, the other in The Metropolitan Museum in New York. Despite their different decorative motifs, all three vases are characterised by the same masterful composition and technical execution, the same realistic depiction of the animals, and the same precise rosettes decorating the animals’ bodies.