Terracotta oinochoe (jug)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During its earliest phase, the Geometric style was expressed in large surfaces covered with black glaze that was interrupted by patterns painted on limited, light clay bands (see, for instance, the Protogeometric oinochoe 30.118.1). Over time this tendency was reversed, and the black areas receded toward the bottoms of shapes. During the Late Geometric phase, new patterns were invented such as the dotted serpent undulating around this jug’s shoulder.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art