Art Institute of Chicago

Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)

Attributed to the Diosphos Painter

Date

about 500-480 BCE

Medium

terracotta, black-figure on white ground

Culture

Athens

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Vessels of this shape were made over the course of hundreds of years and from a variety of materials. The shape may have originated in Egypt and taken its name from the word alabaster, but it was readily replicated in other materials, including terracotta and glass. The broad rim functioned as an applicator for spreading its contents, usually precious oils or perfumes.

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