Terracotta vase with strainer, spout, and three handles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

While the shapes of most vases correspond to an established typology, this unusual piece was probably produced for a specific purpose. The strainer at the top permitted the solid portion of a mixture to be separated from the liquid portion, which could then be poured through the spout. The bail handle at the top allowed the vase to be suspended; the two handles at the sides facilitated lifting and pouring.

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