Antique Southern Italian Ceramic Wine Flask

A small ceramic portable vessel found in Southern Italy.

It is believed to be a piece of folk pottery from around Calabria or Basilicata, made to carry water or wine.

It was likely used as a practical flask, carried during fieldwork or travel.

The porous, unglazed clay body would have allowed a small amount of moisture to pass through the walls. As this moisture evaporated, the evaporative cooling effect may have helped keep the liquid inside gently cool.

It is a simple and rational form, shaped in response to the dry heat of the Mediterranean climate.

The twisted handles add a modest decorative quality to an otherwise practical vessel.

The small hand-carved wooden stopper also sits naturally with the quiet, rustic presence of the piece.