A deep russet coloured terracotta bowl. The lower part of the exterior impressed with elaborate decorations with, at the base, a central circular calyx from which the rest of the vertical decorations emerge, with alternating fronds, amphorae with tall necks and high handles, and eight-pointed geometric stars. Framing the entire upper composition just below the rim is a continuous, horizontal band featuring a classic Greek wave scroll.
 
Condition: Intact and in very good condition generally; some surface wear
 
Diameter at rim 12.5 cms (5 ins)
 
Provenance: Swiss priv. coll. H.-L. Mermod (1891-1962), Lausanne, Switzerland. Madame Françoise Mermod (1941-2018), Lausanne. Catherine Clerc-de Goumoëns, Lausanne. Kurt Schmid, Basel, Switzerland, collected between 1950s - 1970s.
 
The Met Museum tells us: Relief-decorated pottery became more popular than painted pottery during the Hellenistic period. The name Megarian was first given to this type of mold-made relief bowl in the late nineteenth century, because some of the first known examples were said to have come from the city of Megara. It has since been demonstrated that bowls of this type, which were produced at several different centres, originated in Athens in the third quarter of the third century B.C.
 
See our blog post on Ancient Greek pottery