Apulian Terracotta Red-Figure Footed Plate with a Lady of Fashion

Magna Graecia, c. 340-320 BC, Southern Italy This striking Apulian terracotta red-figure footed plate, attributed to the T.P.S. Group, is an elegant example of the highly decorative pottery produced in Southern Italy during the later 4th century BC. The shallow vessel has gently sloping walls rising from a stepped ring foot, opening into a broad circular mouth with a gracefully flared, everted rim. The interior is richly decorated around a central black tondo, within which appears the finely rendered profile of a fashionable young woman facing left. Executed in the red-figure technique, the female head is presented against a lustrous black ground and adorned in the elaborate fashions of the period. Her hair is swept upwards beneath an embroidered sakkos, or head covering, decorated with black and white dots, probably representing strings of pearls or beads, together with small black crosses. A carefully arranged coiffure gathers into a small bun at the crown, secured by a delicate lace-like ribbon that appears to trail lightly behind her. Three elegant corkscrew curls escape from beneath the head covering and frame the side of her face. At the front, the partially exposed hair is crowned by a radiate stephane, while strings of pearls, rendered as fine lines of white dots, ornament her hair, ears, and neck. The delicately drawn profile is remarkably expressive despite its miniature scale. Four varying lines define the eye, while the long straight nose, closed mouth, and softly rounded chin remain clearly articulated. Before her, in the left field, is a phiale with a white rim and dotted white decoration, accompanied by small white dots and slightly larger penannular motifs scattered across the black tondo. The restrained use of white against the deep black ground gives the composition a particularly elegant and jewel-like appearance. A series of concentric decorative borders frames the central image. The tondo is enclosed by a wave-pattern border positioned between two reserved bands, followed by another reserved border and a broad black band decorated with slender white laurel leaves. The leaves curl gracefully outward, with small white dots placed between them. The thick everted rim is ornamented with a sequence of sharp black tongues, while the underside and stepped foot are covered with black slip, interrupted by a broad reserved band around the upper and lower portions of the raised ring foot. From the 8th century BC onwards, Southern Italy became home to numerous Greek colonies, leading the Romans to refer to the region as Magna Graecia, or “Great Greece.” These communities played a crucial role in transmitting Greek artistic traditions, literature, philosophy, and material culture into the Italian peninsula. Apulian pottery developed within this vibrant Hellenic environment, becoming one of the most sophisticated and widely distributed ceramic traditions of the ancient Mediterranean. The so-called “Lady of Fashion” motif, depicting an isolated female head richly adorned with jewellery and an elaborate headdress, became particularly popular on Southern Italian vessels. Hundreds of examples are known, yet their precise identities remain uncertain. Only one has been securely identified as the goddess Aura, leaving open the intriguing possibility that the others represented different divinities, idealised young women, or poetic and theatrical personifications. The motif captures the fascination of the period with feminine beauty, luxury, adornment, and refined appearance. With its elegant profile, elaborate jewellery, sophisticated use of colour, and exceptionally rich ornamental framing, this footed plate is a particularly attractive example of Late Classical Southern Italian pottery. Combining the visual refinement of Apulian ceramic art with the enigmatic imagery of the “Lady of Fashion,” it offers collectors a captivating glimpse into the world of Greek culture in Magna Graecia and the luxurious visual language of the late 4th century BC. Excellent condition. Intact. Minor chip to the rim. Slight encrustation and minor signs of wear, such as scratches, some loss of pigment, and pitting, to the surface. Size approx. 20,5cm x 20,5cm x 4,5cm. Provenance: Dutch private collection. Acquired abroad and brought to Netherlands during the 1960s. For a similar examples see: Terracotta plate, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 06.1021.229 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247392) Red Figure Plate, Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois, Accession Number: 1922.01.0059 (https://www.spurlock.illinois.edu/collections/search-collection/details.php?a=1922.01.0059) The Kantharos Group, in Liverpool, 67, 251 (RVAp II 996,413 with Plate 388: 7). For Kantharos group, RVAp II 995 ff. References and further reading: A. D. Trendall and A. Cambitoglou, Second Supplement to the Red-figured Vases of Apulia, Part II, Chapters 21-30, London, 1992, p. 209, no. 161a.