Ca. 400-300 BC. Apulian. This beautiful terracotta bell krater features a pedestal foot, cylindrical flared stem, inverted bell-shaped body, two upturned handles and a wide, everted rim. One side of the body's decoration depicts a laureate, nude male holding a musical instrument, his left arm resting on his left tight. The male figure is not the god Dionysos himself because he lacks the traditional iconographical attributes of the god — the thyrsos, i.e. a pine-cone tipped staff, a drinking-cup also known as kantharos, or a wreath of ivy-leaves — but the scene may be part of a Dyonisiac thiasos, i.e. the ecstatic procession of Dionysus followers, often pictured as inebriated revellers. This interpretation is supported by the iconography of the other side of the vase's body, which depicts a half-nude, crowned seated woman holding a phiale ready for wine to be poured in and a tambourine for entertainment. The figures are flanked by a palmette design beneath each handle and a meander motif encircles the base while a laurel motif runs beneath the rim. The use of white paint for additional details, such as the jewellery of the woman, and as added highlights to the scenery is indicative of this vessel having been painted in Magna Graecia (the Greek colonies of Southern Italy). Bell kraters such as this fine example first occur in the early fifth century and the only extant ones have red-figure decoration. Bell kraters were named for their bell-like shape, perhaps originating in wood, and they usually featured small horizontal upturned handles just over halfway up the body such as in this example. Some did not have a foot, and earlier examples may have had lugs for handles. Over the course of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, the shape becomes slimmer. Kraters were used for diluting wine with water and usually stood on a tripod in the dining room, where wine was mixed during a banquet (symposium). Excellent condition. Cf. Trendall A. D., Cambitoglou, A. (1983). First Supplement to The Red-figured Vases of Apulia. London: University of London, Institute of Classical Studies, Plate XVIII for the crouching pose of the male figure; Plate XXV figure 6 for a comparable female figure. For a comprehensive treatment of Apulian red-figure vases, see Trendall A. D., Cambitoglou, A. (1978). The Red-figured Vases of Apulia: Early and Middle Apulian. Oxford: Clarendon Press. This piece has been precisely dated having undergone Thermo Luminescence analysis by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. Its TL certificate with full report will also accompany this lot. Size: L:360mm / W:330mm ; 3.4kg. Provenance: From the private collection of a Kent gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed before 2000 on the UK /European art markets.