Getty Museum

Oinochoe

Date

second half of 4th century B.C.

Medium

Silver

Culture

Greek

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

Two overlapping rows of petals of the nymphaea nelumbo flower decorate the body of this Greek silver oinochoe or pitcher. The down-turned tips of the leaves are characteristic of this plant, which is a form of lotus. The silversmith further elaborated the vessel with moldings and a rosette on the underside of the foot. The handle of the oinochoe, now missing, would also have been decorated. This type of oinochoe appears to have been especially popular with the Macedonians and their northern neighbors, the Thracians. Archaeologists have excavated most of the known parallels for this oinochoe in the northern part of Greece and in Bulgaria. Ultimately, however, the inspiration for both the form and decoration of this oinochoe came from Achaemenid Persian metalwork, as was the case for much Greek silver production at this time.

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