Pyxis and Lid from Centuripe in the Princeton University Art Museum, August 2009

Pyxis and Lid
Sicilian, Centuripe, First half of the 3rd century BC
Ceramic

# Y1989-97

This elaborate vase, vividly painted in tempera after firing was made for a tomb and may have served as a cinerary urn. The decorative moldings, the rim of the lid, and the lion's head appliques were gilded originally. The foot and finial are missing. Only the front is decorated. On the body is a group of female musicians and dancers, possibly inspired by a play such as Theophoroumene, by Menander, the leading writer of New Comedy. The leaping dolphins on the lid are nearly effaced.

Text from the Princeton University Art Museum label.