Plastic Vase in the Form of a Female Bust

This small aryballos (oil flask) takes the shape of the bust of a woman. Her head is topped by a small neck with a disk-shaped mouth decorated with black dots placed in between four rays. Plastic vases—vessels made in the form of a human, animal, or mythical creature—were especially popular in the Greek world from about 650 to 550 B.C. They typically held perfumed oil, and their narrow spouted openings were designed to conserve this precious commodity. Rhodes was a leading place of manufacture for such vessels. Busts of women were one of the most common forms of Rhodian plastic vases. This woman's facial features—large eyes, long nose, broad forehead—and hairstyle correlate with the Rhodian sculptural style of the time. The woman wears a red chiton and a mantle over her right shoulder, as well as a beaded necklace, earrings and a headband. Subtly modeled undulations give texture to the mantle. The vessel was made using a two-piece mold, into which thin sheets of clay were pressed. When slightly dried, the two halves of the vessel were joined with a clay paste and the vase was decorated.