Terracotta Askos in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2010

Terracotta askos (flask with a spout and handle over the top)

Period: Early Imperial, Augustan

Date: beginning of 1st century A.D.

Culture: Roman

Medium: Terracotta

Dimensions: H. 4 3/16 in. (10.6 cm)

Classification: Vases

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number: 17.194.885

Description:

This vase was probably made in Southern Italy and was used for pouring wine. Its functional shape is enhanced by the fact that it is modeled on a leather wineskin and by the relief decoration of ivy leaves and berries that symbolizes the power of Dionysus, the god of wine.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...