Olpe

Oinochoe, polychrome, decorations on yellow clay, leaves, etc. Pinkish cream, clay fine texture. Shape: short foot with bevelled edge, flat bottom. Drop ovoid body. Narrow drip ledge at base of neck. Neck thin and flared to curved, bevelled lip. Rim flared with broad mouth. Single strap handle attahced at mid-shoulder. Two discs (round, flat pieces of clay) added on rim either side of handle. Decoration: design paint brown upper part, red lower part. White and purplish red paint added. Foot brown, now rubbed to cream ground. On base, band of rays above which band of red flanked by narrower white band. 3 friezes, at lower belly, belly and shoulder. Above and below central belly frieze band of white dots flanked by narrow white band. Frieze composed of floral ornaments laid out 1st with incised lines, then parts left reserved or filled in with white and purplish red. In lowest zone (lower belly) chain of purplish red and white semicirlces, alternately reversed. Between each pair of ends double palmette with petals alternately red and white. Axis of floral chain in central frieze horizontal. Large spreading leaves white, ends curve downward and from them hang white lobes. Petals of palmettes alternately white and purplish red and spring from white arc (placed between curved white leaves of previous ornament). Beyond them a triangle of solid white, followed by chevron of ground red and then 2 purplish red pointed foliates of calyx from between which springs larger leaves. In upper frieze is chain of lotuses and palmettes, alternately reversed. 2 petals of lotuses slender and pointed, they enclose secodnary palemtte which is bisected by 3rd smaller petal or stalk. Ends of connecting festoons encricle base of handle. Petals of palmettes alternatively white and purplish red. At base of handle is white dot rosette. Narrow white bands above and below drip ledge. NEck brown with 4 white dot rosettes around middle. Rim painted brown distance of 0.055m either side of handle and parallel to its axis. Handle brown. Inner surface of neck painted brown distance of 0.03m. Outer face of rim discs have superimposed white crosses. Incision occurs only on floral ornaments in frieze where it outlines their shape. Intact. Surface somewhat rubbed.