Ca. 2nd half of the 4th - 1st half of the 3rd Century BCThis skyphos is a particularly nice and well-preserved example of a typical drinking cup from Southern Italy in the highly decorative Gnathian style. Decorated with geometric and vegetal motifs on a black background, this style is characteristic for vases that were produced around the area of Egnathia in Apulia during the late fourth to the early third century BC. The decoration on the front side includes a highly stylized vine pattern consisting of grapes, leaves, and tendrils. The backside features a simple band of ivy. The shape is suitable for the symposium or drinking party, and the motifs are not only reminiscent of Dionysos, but also the way that garlands were actually suspended at the symposium. For a comprehensive treatment of Gnathian pottery, see T. B.L. Webster, "Towards a Classification of Apulian Gnathian,?Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies at the University of London 15 (1968). Accompanied by the original paperwork.Size: L:120mm / W:80mm ; 90gProvenance: From the Helge Deikner Collection, North Rhine-Westphalia since before 1980.