A figural perfume vessel lekythos on a conical foot. Above, a flower with lanceolate petals, a young, smiling woman with curly hair and snub nose rides belly down on a goose. She wraps her arms around the goose's neck and her left-hand rests on a bunch of grapes. The woman's body is covered by a cloak with a fringed hem that is fastened at the chest by a round brooch. Together with the calyx, the cloak forms the back of the vessel. A strap handle runs from the woman's back to her head, that is topped by a round spout.
As the goose was sacred to Aphrodite, the lekythos may have been a love gift.
 
Alexandrian: 2nd-1st century BC.
 
Condition: Complete and intact, slightly worn in places.
Height 10.3 cms (4 ins)
 
Provenance: Formerly in Dutch priv. coll. Purchased in 1978 from Arete Galerie Alte Kunst, Zurich. Rhenus Auktionen February 1, 2023, lot 28