A large Etruscan-Corinthian amphora with depiction of animals

Description:

Etruscan-Corinthian, ca. 630 - 580 BC
H. 61 cm
Clay, reddish brown fired, with painted and incised decoration. The elegant amphora with a high neck, offset lip, and two vertical handles features elaborate scale ornamentation on the lower body, which gives the vessel its name. A figurative painted frieze with animal depictions runs around the shoulder area: several striding quadrupeds, presumably horses or cattle, alternating with ornamental bands. This large amphora can be classified as one of the scale amphorae produced in Caere. This group is characterized by its size, robust, thick walls, and sturdy handles, suggesting that they were intended for storing viscous liquids such as olive oil. The bodies typically feature a carved scale pattern with animal friezes on the shoulders, divided by bands.
Important private collection Rhineland, acquired before 1969, by inheritance within the family to the present owner
A similar example is the amphora in the Musei Capitolini in Rome, no. 55 in M. Martelli et al., La Ceramica degli Etruschi, see also Christie's London, December 4, 2019. lot 463 - A similar amphora was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024, see Hiram Carruthers Butler Gift and Patricia and Marietta Fried Fund, 2024, Object Number: 2024.283 - Wear, part. rest.