Plastic vessel in the form of a hand

Description

The shape of this container, most probably for perfumed oil, is unparalleled among Greek vases. It is moulded in the form of a hand clasping a miniature oil jar (lekythion), the smallest of the vase shapes produced by Greek workshops in the Classical period. The hand is painted white, a Greek convention to indicate that it is female. The lekythion, painted black, has a tall neck and a mouth with a broad overhanging rim and small opening for filling and pouring. In spite of its uniqueness, the hand vase belongs nonetheless to a category of Greek vessels known as plastic vases.