Detail of a South Italian Terracotta Deep Bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2012

Terracotta deep bowl

Period: Hellenistic

Date: late 3rd–early 2nd century B.C.

Culture: Greek, South Italian, Campanian, Calenian

Medium: Terracotta

Dimensions: H. 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm); diameter 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)

Classification: Vases

Credit Line: The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 2001

Accession Number: 2001.731

Label:

The deep bowl originated in metal during the Hellenistic period and was reinterpreted in clay quickly and widely. The bust represents Dionysos, god of wine, an appropriately frequent subject for a drinking vessel. Pottery of this type is conventionally known as Calenian, after Cales, a site in Campania. Recent studies indicate that there were numerous centers of production in Italy and wide distribution to both the west and the east.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/257596