Oinochoe 525 BC

This Oinochoe, or wine jug, was made in Greece, possibly Athens, around 500 BC by an artist known as the Class of the Oxford Siren-Jug. The jug is made from terracotta clay, shaped on a potter's wheel, then painted in the black-figure technique. This involved painting the figures as silhouettes, and incising details with a sharp tool. The firing process was carefully controlled to create the glossy black finish, contrasting with the reddish-orange of the clay. The process of creating such a vessel was labor-intensive, and required a high degree of skill. In ancient Greece, pottery production was a significant industry, with workshops employing both free artisans and enslaved labor. The decoration on this jug shows a scene of revelry, perhaps reflecting the social context in which the vessel would have been used. Thinking about the materials, the making, and the imagery helps us understand the Oinochoe as more than just a pretty object, but as a product of its time, embedded in a complex web of labor, commerce, and culture.