Ca. 400-300 BC. Apulian. A black-glazed terracotta guttos (oil-lamp filler) with a spool-shaped foot, a wheel-shaped body, a protruding ring handle, and a cylindrical spout with an everted rim. The tondo features a stamped Gorgon with piercing eyes, a soft, round jaw line and flowing hair. Good condition. In Greek mythology, Gorgons were monsters portrayed in early classical art as winged female creatures; their hair consisted of snakes, and they were round-faced, flat-nosed, with tongues lolling out and with large projecting teeth. Medusa, who may appear on this guttus, was the only one of the three Gorgon sisters who was mortal and was often depicted as beautiful and deadly. This type of vessel, a guttos, was a vessel used to store precious oil to fill oil lamps and the name 'guttos' (λήκυθος in ancient Greek) implies that the oil was released drop by drop. This was made possible by the tiered, moulded rim and the elongated spout which prevented air from easily entering the vessel. Apulia was a region in south-eastern Italy that, from the 8th century BC onwards, was populated by a vast number of Greek colonies - so much so that the Romans referred to the area as 'Magna Graecia' (Great Greece). These Greek colonies were instrumental in bringing Greek culture and thought to Italy, greatly influencing Roman literature, philosophy, and material culture. Size: L:85mm / W:110mm ; 188g. Provenance: From the private collection of a Kent gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1990s on the UK /European art markets.