Southern Italy was populated by a large number of Greek colonies from the 8th century BC onwards – so much so that the Romans referred to the area as Magna Graecia – Great Greece. These Greek colonies were instrumental in bringing Greek culture and thought to Italy, greatly influencing Roman literature, philosophy, and material culture in turn. The pottery from the area is easily recognisable by its lustrous black glaze and by the use of polychromatic pigments, such as white, ochre, and maroon. Epichysis were used in Ancient Greece for pouring liquids, such as wine and oil. The liquid could be distributed with a degree of control, due to the slender concave neck.
Eros was the ancient Greek deity of erotic and passionate love, known in Greek as ἔρως. The winged god is commonly shown in child form and holding a bow and arrows, with which he would spark desire in his targets. In this example, however, his depiction as a beautiful adult male, is more in line with the early Classical tradition. He has several origin myths, either making up one of the earliest or primordial gods from the time of the Titans, or as the son of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Ares, the god of war.
To learn more about Greek pottery, please visit our relevant blog post: Styles and Uses of Greek Pottery.
To explore the ways in which Eros was traditionally depicted visit our relevant blog: Eros’ Iconography in Classical Times: Amor Vincit Omnia
