Ca. 2nd half of the 4th - 1st half of the 3rd Century BC. 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 design of a double band between dotted lines. 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). Size: L:100mm / W:140mm ; 135gProvenance: Property of a central London Gallery; formerly in a South English estate collection; acquired in the 1990s from Andre de Munter, Brussels, Belgium; previously in and old European collection.