East Greek, probably Milesian / c. 580 BCE
Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Monkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel) as ceramic (East Greek, probably Milesian · c. 580 BCE).
An aryballos is a small jar for scented oils and perfumes.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic.
The museum's collection notes: Perfume flasks in the form of a monkey are numerous, but few are as well made and preserved as this one. The flask was worn suspended from the wrist by a cord. Its owner would take it to the communal baths and anoint himself with its contents afterward. Such flasks have been found throughout the Mediterranean and Egypt, but this vessel was likely made at a Greek settlement on the west coast of Asia Minor.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMonkey-Shaped Aryballos (Oil Vessel)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.