Ca. 500-400 BC. Classical. A beautiful white lekythos standing on a low pedestal black-glazed disc foot, featuring a cylindrical body, a black-glazed loop handle, a cylindrical neck and black-glazed funnel spout. The typically white body still retains traces of decoration in the form of orange bands. Good condition. In ancient Greece, lekythoi were oil containers. While larger examples were usually designated for storing olive oil, smaller more delicate examples were reserved for the bath to store precious unguents. In the late 500s BC, Athenian potters began to cover the natural reddish colour of their pottery with a clay that turned white when fired. Initially, artists applied this technique to a variety of shapes decorated with a wide range of scenes. Just before the middle of the 400s BC, however, artists began limiting the use of this technique to the specific shape of the lekythos - this change was most likely due to the fragile nature of the white slip, which did not wear well. For a comprehensive treatment of white lekythoi and their iconography, see Kurtz, D. C. (1968). The Iconography of the Athenian White-ground Lekythos. Oxford. Size: L:190mm / W:67mm ; 282g. Provenance: Ex. Dr. Med. G.S. collection, Nuremberg, 1958-2003, Hans Piehler collection (1847-1961). Ex. Art for Eternity, NYC., # 12781.