Classification
Dimensions
77 x 27 x 11 cm
Date
early 20th century
Period
Material
Iconography
Inventory
Ag.561
ID
Hyp-5761
References
The narrow grave stele commemorates an Athenian woman named Phanylla. It is decorated with three perfume bottles in relief: a slender-necked lekythos in the centre, framed by two smaller alabastra. Besides the lekythos, the drop shaped alabastron was also a frequent equipment of Athenian funerary rites: scented oils stored in these bottles were used to anoint the body of the deceased. The alabastron was more likely to belong to female toiletry, and was thus primarily represented on grave stelae erected for women. The upper part of the stele, which contained the inscription naming the deceased, is missing from the plaster cast.
