Vases Aryballos Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)
Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)

Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)

Aryballos · c. 580 BCE
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.
Shape
Date
c. 580 BCE
Culture
East Greek, probably Milesian
Dimensions
H: 9.00 cm
Medium
ceramic
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession Number
1991.50
Image Source
cleveland_cc0
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)