Large Plate from the Odone Collection

Large Plate from the Odone Collection

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Author/ School/ Dating:

Painter of the Louvre, Lucania, 4th century BC

Technique and Dimensions:

Apulian pottery with red figures, diameter 42 cm

Location:

Second Floor

Provenance:

Donation of Prince Odone of Savoy, 1866

Object Type:

Objects



One example is this large plate (its diameter is 42 cm) painted in various colours and made by an Apulian painter (known as the Painter of Louvre) active in Southern Italy between 325 and 300 BC.

The scenes on the two sides depict subjects linked to the cult of Dionysus, the god of wine: a satyr with a musical instrument and a bunch of grapes, a follower of the god with a crown of flowers, winged cherubs and male and female figures with the various symbols of Dionysus such as garlands, bunches of grapes, and the thyrsus. A true masterpiece of harmony between its form, colours, figures, and decorative elements.

There are some extraordinary pieces in the Prince Odone of Savoy collection, particularly among the painted ceramics from the Greek and Hellenistic era, masterpieces attributed to the greatest artists of the time.