Campanian red-figure skyphos, Campanian, 4th century B.C.

Side A: a lovemaking scene, to the left a standing male, his arms around the waist of his paramour, her chiton pushed to either side of her lower torso exposing her derriere, as she leans forwards, her hands grasping an architectural element (?)
Side B: two female servants wearing chiton and himation and holding a skyphos and an epichysis in their hands; palmettes and scrolling flower tendrils below each handle, ovolo around the rim with line of dots beneath, foot reserved, with details in added white
18.8 cm high

Note
Representations of erotic scenes are almost non-existent in Italiote vase painting. Although the quality of this piece is relatively unassuming, the subject matter makes it incredibly significant within the corpus of similar skyphoi.

Provenance
Private collection, Switzerland, prior to 1976, thence by descent

Exhibition
Le peintre de Darius. Vases grecs d'Italie méridionale. Genève, Musée d'art et d'histoire, 12 avril-3 août 1986

Publication
A.D. Trendall, The Red-Figured Vases of Lucania, Campania and Sicily, supplement I, p. 61 no. 895a