Name:	White-Ground Lekythos
Picture:
Description:	H. 19cm, diam. at mouth 4.2cm, diam. at foot 4.1cm. Except for a few minor chips and some accretion, the piece is complete. The black glaze on the bottom is worn and flaking. Some of the white has also worn off. Fine, orange buff clay. Exterior and interior mouth, outside of handle, lower 3.6cm of body and top of foot painted black. Brown-black rays on shoulder; second ring of short dashes at the base of the neck. Main part of body white. Thin line of glaze, varying from dark brown to dilute orange brown just below the edge of shoulder. Double dilute line 0.06cm and 1cm below that. Single line just above black area at the base of body. Between the upper single and double lines is a carelessly drawn meander. It extends approximately 8.6cm on the front part of the vessel only (opposite the handle). Below is a seated figure facing right and holding a lyre. The figure is fully shaped, but it is impossible to determine its sex. The scene is enclosed by what seems to be a shrine, with a single
Date:	Late 5th century B.C.
Discussion:	The careless outline drawing and the fact that the entire neck is not black is typical of white-ground of this period (see CVA Deutschland 29, pl. 71.5). The rays on the neck can be seen in white-ground lekythoi with black figure decoration (see CVA Deutschland 31, pl. 176.3, 176.4, 176.5, 176.6, 176.7).