Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)

Description

Perfume flasks in the form of a monkey are numerous, but few are as well made and preserved as this one. The flask was worn suspended from the wrist by a cord. Its owner would take it to the communal baths and anoint himself with its contents afterward. Such flasks have been found throughout the Mediterranean and Egypt, but this vessel was likely made at a Greek settlement on the west coast of Asia Minor.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1991-)

Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)

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c. 580 BCE

Accession Number

1991.50

Medium

ceramic

Dimensions

Diameter of mouth: 2 cm (13/16 in.); Overall: 9 cm (3 9/16 in.); Diameter of base: 3.7 cm (1 7/16 in.)

Classification

Ceramic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Dr. Leo Mildenberg in honor of Arielle P. Kozloff