Olpe. Ancient Greek, 4th century BC. Ceramic. 10.2 cm height. Condition: Good condition. Break in the lip of the vessel. Provenance: Collection of Gaia Cecilia Metella Servadio 1938-2021, Italian writer living in London. Description: Greek ceramic vessel that is called Olpe due to its shape. It is decorated only with a black background and a slight incised line, in red, very close to the flat base of the glass, topped by a short black plinth. The flat base of the glass has, like many other ceramics, a black circumference in the center. It is worth highlighting the beauty of the black ceramic tone and the perfection of the shape of the glass. Due to its shape it is named Olpe, inherited from the Greeks. It is a jug with a high handle with a function similar to the oinochoe. It is distinguished from the latter by having a greater height than width, a smooth profile on the edge, compared to the three-lobed one of the oinochoe, and it has a high handle that often rises in a characteristic manner above the mouth of the container. Red-figure pottery was one of the most important figurative styles of Greek production. It was developed in Athens around 530 BC, and was used until the 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously predominant style of black-figure pottery within a few decades. The technical basis was the same in both cases, but in the red figures the color is inverted, leaving the figures highlighted on a dark background, as if they were illuminated by a theatrical light, following a more natural scheme. Painters who worked with black figures were forced to keep the motifs well separated from each other and limit the complexity of the illustration. In contrast, the red-figure technique allowed for greater freedom. Each figure was silhouetted against a black background, allowing painters to portray anatomical details with more accuracy and variety. The technique consisted of painting the motifs on the still wet piece, using a transparent varnish that, when fired, acquired an intense black tone. Therefore, the motifs were invisible before firing, due to which the painters had to work completely from memory, without being able to see their previous work. Once the piece was fired, the areas not covered by the varnish remained with the reddish tone of the clay, while the glazed, "painted" areas took on a dense and shiny black color. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.