Description
This late Apulian red-figure catalog documents animal-head rhyta from the Jatta Collection at the Museo Nazionale in Ruvo di Puglia. Examining specimens crafted by prominent workshops, including the Darius, Underworld, Patera, Ganymede, Baltimore, and White Sakkos Painters, the text explores the symbolic, ritual, and funerary significance of these mold-made vessels within indigenous Peucetian culture during the fourth century BCE. The text combines an introductory historiographical synthesis with detailed cataloging that details technical dimensions, state of preservation, stylistic characteristics, and iconography. Rhyta decorated with animal protomes (such as hounds, boars, and deer) functioned alongside ritual iconographies featuring Dionysian themes, Eros, and various female figures to underscore local eschatological beliefs and elite identity markers. By analyzing technical details—such as handle construction, partial interior glazing, and the absence of pour holes—the volume emphasizes that these vessels served primarily symbolic and display functions in funerary contexts rather than daily utilitarian use.
