The exhibition features a black lacquer mug with a squat body. It is decorated with large petal-shaped flutes. The low neck is separated from the body, and the edge is horizontal. The mug has two adjacent handles attached directly to the edge. There is a decorative pattern on the surface of the mug.
In the 6th–5th centuries BCE, pottery production began to flourish in ancient Greece. Greek pottery is still considered a great example of classical ceramics, although many other unique ceramic schools and styles appeared in different regions at different times. The simplicity and elegance of their designs, as well as the skill of Greek craftsmen, have earned Greek ceramics worldwide recognition for centuries. Even everyday tableware crafted by Greek potters can be considered works of art. Ceramic clay used for pottery was carefully prepared by skilled craftsmen from selected materials. It was then subjected to multiple stages of processing. Pulverized lime, powdered quartz, and silicon were added as additives to the clay mixture.
Most of the clay vessels were created using a manual potter’s wheel. A potter would work on small products alone, while apprentices helped to create larger products by turning the wheel. The types of shapes that dominated Hellenistic pottery differ significantly from those popular before. Among earlier types, bell-shaped kraters, hydriai, tall and narrow amphorae, various dishes, and plates were still commonly used. Additionally, a new type of squat, ribbed, and relief tableware became widely used. Wine jugs, drinking bowls, and mugs became popular.
Relief ceramics became increasingly popular and successfully competed with painted vases. Artists were only involved in designing the patterns that were used to create molds for making imprints on vessels and their parts. The rest of the work was done by skilled craftsmen. The production of fluted pottery did not require artistic talent — only technical skills that allowed for rapid and large-scale manufacturing of marketable products.
