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Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects)

A work made of terracotta, red-figure.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of terracotta, red-figure.

Date:

430-420 BCE

Artist:

Greek; Athens

About this artwork

Nine women are depicted in the figured scene that runs right around the vase. The women are presumably in the gynaikeion or women’s quarters, and include a seated woman with a book roll, a woman holding wreath, a woman with a mirror, a woman with an alabastron, a woman with a sash, a woman with a lyre, a woman with a mirror, a girl standing stiff and straight to the right, who might be the bride-to-be, and a woman with an alabastron.

Vessels of this type were probably used to hold personal effects like cosmetics, jewelry, or other trinkets and were often given as wedding gifts.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects)

Place

Athens (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

430 BCE–420 BCE

Medium

terracotta, red-figure

Dimensions

13.3 × 10.5 cm (5 1/4 × 4 1/8 in.); Diam.: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

1892.126a-b

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/616/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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