Greek and Roman

A pair of similarly decorated white-ground lekythoi, showing
a central tomb monument upon a stepped base of two tiers,
decorated with a red fillet, a draped female figure standing
to the left, head looking downwards, with one hand raised
and reaching towards the altar, another hand holding a
patera, though on one vase only a single hand remains
visible. To the right stands a draped male figure wearing a
solid red himation exposing his right shoulder, his face in
profile and framed by thick curling hair, on one vase his hand is raised forwards in a similar gesture to the female
figure on the other vase. The delineation of the bodies, arms,
legs and faces all deftly painted in red. On one vase, below
the shoulder, is a band of ornamental stopped meanders
interspersed by saltires set within rectangles, and on the
other is a border of plain meanders. The shoulders of both
vases are patterned with three palmettes linked with tendrils.
Black slip around the neck and handle and to the lower body
and top of the thick foot. The fragile nature of the white-
ground technique means that areas of the friable surface
have been eroded, the necks and handles of both have repair,
some misfiring and chips touched in, one base repaired.

White-ground is created by a thick white paint being added to
the surface and a red or black slip ‘drawing’ applied on top.
White-ground vases were not used in daily life and held
funerary and ritualistic associations.