Pyxis (Cosmetics Container) with Lid

Place of OriginGreece, Corinth; reportedly found in Selinunte, Sicily

Dateabout 600 BCE

DimensionsH (with lid): 7 15/16 in. (20.2 cm); H (without lid): 4 11/16 in. (11.9 cm); Diam (rim): 7 9/32 in. (18.5 cm); Diam (rim with handles): 8 5/16 in. (21.1 cm); Diam (base): 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm); H (lid): 3 15/32 in. (8.8 cm); Diam (lid): 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm)

MediumWheel-thrown, slip-decorated earthenware with incised details

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1963.24A-B

Not on View

DescriptionA large ceramic pyxis with concave sides and a domed lid, decorated with painted and incised animal friezes. The decoration includes lions, sphinxes, panthers, sirens, geese, a boar, and an eagle, arranged in horizontal registers. The knobbed lid features concentric circles, checkerboard bands, and rays. The vessel exhibits careful incision, fine slip work, and remains largely intact with restored sections on the base, handle, and decorative figures.

Label TextAround 600 B.C., the Greek city of Corinth was a major hub for Mediterranean trade, exporting its distinctive pottery far and wide. This ornate container, called a pyxis, was made in a Corinthian workshop and (reportedly) found in Sicily, a testament to these ancient trade networks. It would have held cosmetics, jewelry, or other small treasures. The artist, known today as the Havana Painter, covered nearly every surface with intricate decoration. Bands of real and mythical creatures—lions, sphinxes, sirens, and ibex—march in friezes around the body and lid. These motifs, inspired by art from the Near East and Egypt, were popular in Greece during this "Orientalizing" period, reflecting a world of increasing cultural exchange.Published ReferencesMünzen und Medaillen A.G., Auktion, XXVI, Basel, 5 Oktober, 1963, p. 30, pl. 19, lot no. 61.

Vermeule, Emily, "Myths, Shapes and Colors," Apollo, vol. 86, no. 70, Dec. 1967, p. 420, fig. 3.

Riefstahl, Rudolph M., "Greek Vases," The Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 11, no. 2, 1968, p. 31, repr.

Luckner, Kurt T., "Greek Vases: Shapes and Uses," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 15, no. 3, 1972, p. 86, fig. 39.

Amyx, Darrell A., and P. Lawrence, Corinth VII, vol. 2, 1975, p. 24, under no. 47.

Amyx, Darell A., Corinthian Vase Painters, Berkeley, p. 129, no. 1.

Boulter, Cedric G., and Kurt T. Luckner, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Toledo Museum of Art fasc. 2. U.S.A fasc. 20, Mainz, 1984, pl. 74, 75, 1.

Amyx, Darrell A., Corinthian vase-painting of the archaic period, Berkeley, 1988, p. 129, 447, pl. 52.

Exhibition HistoryTreasures for Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Dec. 1964 -Jan. 1965.