Ca. 400-300 BC. Apulian. An elegant Gnathian ware skyphos (drinking cup) with a rounded body on a low flanged ring base and ear-shaped horizontal handles. The entire exterior and interior appear to have been glazed in a layer of glossy black pigment, indicating high quality workmanship - only the base has been left unpainted and the red clay is exposed. The body is decorated with white, red, and yellow pigment with alternating red-and-white horizontal bands, a row of dots and multiple bands of geometric and circular motifs. The reverse displays a simple white band flanked by two bands of circular motifs above and below it. Good condition. The Gnathian style originated from Apulia, a region located along the south-eastern coast of Italy. The Gnathian style consisted of a polychromic design applied onto a dark, varnished background and takes its name from the ancient southern Italian city of Egnathia, where this type of ware was first found in the mid-19th century. The primary colours used were red, white and yellow although white soon became the dominant colour. Skyphoi like this one, typical drinking cups in southern Italy and in the wide ancient Greek world, were used during symposia (ancient drinking parties). For a comprehensive treatment of Gnathian pottery, see T. B.L. Webster, “Towards a Classification of Apulian Gnathian,” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies at the University of London 15 (1968): 13-18. Size: L:82mm / W:135mm ; 99g. Provenance: From the private collection of a Kent gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed before 2000 on the UK /European art markets.