Canosa vase, Greek, 3rd century BCE Terracotta with white slip said to have been discovered near Canosa di Puglia, Italy at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston

Canosa vase, Greek, 3rd century BCE Terracotta with white slip said to have been discovered near Canosa di Puglia, Italy at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA. A type of Apulian vase, Canosa vases were produced exclusively for funerary use between 350 and 300 BCE. Their distinguishing feature is their three-dimensional decorations depicting Nike, chariots, battle scenes, naiskoi and winged female figures painted in a variety of water-soluble pigments (blue, red/pink, yellow, pale purple, brown) on a white background. Preferred vessel forms are the volute-krater, cantharus, oinochoe, and askos. The main find locations of such vessels are Canosa (after which the vases are now named), Arpi and Ordona.


Image: Canosa vase, Greek, 3rd century BCE Terracotta with white slip said to have been discovered near Canosa di Puglia, Italy at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA. This vase was originally purchased from a Naples antiquities dealer for 150 lire on 26 October 1897. Image courtesy of the museum.

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