Terracotta pyxis (box with lid)

Unknown

mid-8th century BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

This type of pyxis, a toilette box for personal objects and cosmetics, appeared in Athens around 850 BCE, based on influences from Mycenaean and Protogeometric pyxides and wooden boxes. It features a strongly curving body and a lid smaller in diameter than the box itself. The handle of the lid is surmounted by a small reproduction of the pyxis, including a sort of conical handle often found on vessels of this type. Geometric pyxides were deposited as gifts in sanctuaries and especially in tombs. Ancient repairs on many of these vessels indicate their use during an owner's lifetime. A similar but much smaller pyxis with traces of a white substance inside, perhaps a cosmetic, was discovered in a wealthy woman’s grave at Eleusis in Attica.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-8th century BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1948