Ancient Greek Black Glaze Ribbed Mug

The mug is of a straight-sided, cylindrical form with seven horizontal ribs and an applied ring handle just below the lip. The base is flat with a slightly raised foot running around the circumference. The very centre of the underside is reserved and with traces of ochre pigment. Intact, some slight chipping to the glaze touched in, areas of incrustation to the base and interior.

This strikingly modern piece is a fine example of Attic black-glaze pottery, a style which developed in Athens in the 8th Century B.C., covered in an iron-rich clay slip that turns a glossy black during firing. During the sixth to third centuries, Athens began to export these finely made works, characterised by their dark, lustrous sheen, and the clarity of their style, across all parts of the Mediterranean World.

Compare with Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Bochum, Kunstsammlungen der Ruhr-Universitat II, pp.72-73, pl.75, no.9, and for a similar example from South Italy compare Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Cleveland Museum of Art II, pl.105, no.5

Measures: Height: 7.1cm
Diameter: 8cm, 10.1cm including handle.

Provenance:
Private collection of G.M.; acquired prior to 1968
Private collection of F.M., Mendrisio, Switzerland; by descent from the above Private collection, East Coast, USA; acquired in Switzerland, 2014
Subsequently with Charles Ede Gallery, London

Literature:
Greek Black Glaze, Charles Ede Gallery, 2021, p. 112