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Source Description
This small bull-shaped flask is similar in form and painted decoration to a class of figure-shaped perfume vessels created during the late seventh and early sixth centuries BC in Greece and Italy (especially Corinth, Rhodes, and Etruria). The stippled body decoration characterizes such vases from multiple sites, while the light-colored clay and inconspicuous orifice placement are typical of Corinth. But no other reclining bulls are known among such vases (and only a few bullheads or upper bodies), raising questions about authenticity. A 1986 analysis determined that this object had been recently fired, and a 2020 clay analysis placed its origin in the Catalonia region of Spain, far from any known ancient production area for such flasks.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
149636
label
Oil Flask in the Shape of a Bull
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
149636
contentType
object
title
Oil Flask in the Shape of a Bull
description
This small bull-shaped flask is similar in form and painted decoration to a class of figure-shaped perfume vessels created during the late seventh and early sixth centuries BC in Greece and Italy (especially Corinth, Rhodes, and Etruria). The stippled body decoration characterizes such vases from multiple sites, while the light-colored clay and inconspicuous orifice placement are typical of Corinth. But no other reclining bulls are known among such vases (and only a few bullheads or upper bodies), raising questions about authenticity. A 1986 analysis determined that this object had been recently fired, and a 2020 clay analysis placed its origin in the Catalonia region of Spain, far from any known ancient production area for such flasks.
date
600–575 BCE or 1900s CE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79931120
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.)
cul
Greek, Corinthian or modern forgery
accession
1979.3
Source extras
tec
ceramic
tombstone
Oil Flask in the Shape of a Bull, 600–575 BCE or 1900s CE. Greek, Corinthian or modern forgery. Ceramic; overall: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund, 1979.3
collection
GR - Greek
didYouKnow
The curled tail masks a filling hole atop the back.
citations
citation
"Annual Report for 1979." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 67, no. 6 (1980): 159-202.
page_number
Mentioned p. 166.
creditline
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:42:36.947000
sourceId
149636
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
ceramic
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6b320374e6c6913c