91 - A FINE APULIAN RED-FIGURE GUTTUS WITH A LION-HEAD SPOUT, THE DARIUS PAINTER’S WORKSHOP, 4TH CENTURY BC

A FINE APULIAN RED-FIGURE GUTTUS WITH A LION-HEAD SPOUT, THE DARIUS PAINTER’S WORKSHOP, 4TH CENTURY BC Finely potted, the lentoid body raised on a ring foot, with a recessed central filling aperture, a tall loop handle, and a projecting spout molded like a lion’s head. Decorated in red-figure technique with a reclining nude youth holding a mirror towards a draped seated female holding a casket and wreath, a rosette between, a palmette flanking the handle, all reserved against the lustrous, black-glazed ground with details in added cream. Provenance: Christie’s London, 6 May 1982, lot 210 (part lot). A private collection in England, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, firing irregularities, light scratches and scattered flaking to the pigments, and small chips around the mouth and rim. Weight: 184 g Dimensions: Height 6.8 cm, Diameter 11 cm The Darius Painter ranks among the foremost masters of South Italian red-figure vase painting. Active in Apulia during the later 4 th century BC, he is celebrated for sophisticated mythological and theatrical compositions, confident draftsmanship, elaborate ornament, and the accomplished use of added color. His highly influential workshop disseminated this distinctive pictorial language across a wide range of vessel types and represents one of the artistic high points of late Apulian vase painting . The guttus was a pouring vessel, its name deriving from the Latin gutta, meaning ‘drop,’ in reference to the controlled dispensing of its contents through the narrow spout. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 7 December 2011, lot 137 Price: USD 4,000 or approx. EUR 5,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Apulian red-figured guttus, circa 340-320 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and figural decoration, note the ram-head spout, and the slightly larger size (13.3 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 9 December 2005, lot 257 Price: USD 4,800 or approx. EUR 7,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Apulian red-figured guttus, the Darius Workshop, circa 360-320 BC Expert remark: Compare the identical workshop and closely related form and figural decoration. Note the ram-head spout, and the slightly larger size (14.3 cm).