Terracotta askos (flask with a handle over the top)

Unknown

3rd century BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Scylla, the Homeric monster with the upper body of an alluring woman and scaly limbs eminating from her hips, rises from the body of this vase. Scylla lurked in a cave on the Straits of Messina, seizing and devouring passing dolphins, sharks, or sailors. Scylla was a popular subject on Canosan vases of this type, which characteristically combine sculpted and painted images. On the body of this vase remain traces of the richly colored ornament in pink and blue paint on a white slip.

Artist

Unknown

Date

3rd century BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, South Italian, Canosan

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Betts, 1911