Sphinxes

The tiny size of this vessel did not hinder its painter from creating intricate, miniature decoration over the entire surface of the vase. Two sphinxes face each other on the front of the main band of decoration on this Corinthian black-figure aryballos. The sphinxes are not part of a story but rather serve as decorative elements. On the back, a goat grazes under the handle. Filling ornament such as pinwheel rosettes and spirals surrounds the animals. A palmette and lotus design decorate the vase's shoulder, and the lower band on the body shows two dogs chasing a hare, a common theme. Aryballoi were used to hold perfumed oil. The vessel's narrow opening and the wide plate around the mouth were intended to prevent spills of this precious commodity. The shape of aryballoi developed over time from an early pointed form to later rounded forms. The long, pointed shape of this example is distinctively early, or Proto-Corinthian.