The cone-shaped body culminates in a broad, flaring rim and rests on a high, elegant stem foot. A raised collar at the foot neck resembles the soldering ring of bronze examples. The centre of the body is decorated with an applied, gilt wreath of delicately rendered grape vine. An ionian kymation (ovolo) adorns the outer rim, while the rest of the body is covered in a shiny, black glaze that suggests the influence of metalwork.
Note
From the mid 6th to late 5th century BC, the city of Athens was considered the unrivalled 'market leader' in the production of fine ceramics. From then on, Attic potters and painters also produced high quality tableware using black glaze. Together with black and red-figure pottery, this sought-after ceramic was exported in huge quantities.
In recent years, the cultural significance of black-glazed pottery has been recognised both by scholars and collectors, and is thought to represent a tradition of imitating metalwork with high quality pottery (cf. Beryl Barr-Sharrar 2015). Certain black-glazed pottery vases, such as this krater, can be regarded as equals to the best work of Attic pottery.
Attic black-glazed vessels were found in Thessaly, Pontos, Egypt, Cyrenaica, Samos, Kalymnos, Rhodos, Southern Italy and France. As a general rule, an ionian kymation is found on the lip, with a vine motif around the centre of the calyx and a single ring on the base of the handles. A more ornate decoration is uncommon (cf. the calyx craters at the British Museum, London, inv. 18717-22.3 and at the Karashiki Ninagawa Museum, Okayawwa, Japan). The most notable parallel to this vase, in form, size and decoration, is the calyx krater kept at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (inv. IV 3732).
