Pyxis (container)

Attic red-figure pyxis in the Louvre, name vase of the wedding painter , around 470/460 BC Chr.

A pyxis (Greek: πυξίς ; plural: pyxides) is a round container, usually a box with a lid. The name, which has been documented since Hellenistic times, comes from the Greek word pýxos for boxwood , from which pyxides were often turned. The Attic word kylichnís is probably an older name for it.

Not many wooden pyxides have survived today. Other materials are ceramic, alabaster , metal or ivory . They were used in the household of Greek women to store jewelry and cosmetics. That is why they are often painted in the red-figure style with scenes of women in their chambers. Pyxides were often used as grave goods for women.

history

The first variants of pyxides already existed in geometric times . These were large and flat and were probably used in a different way. In the 7th century BC The shape was further developed by Corinthian potters in order to adapt it to the new forms of decoration ( black-figure vase painting ). In the 6th century BC There were some further developments and special forms such as tripod and Nicosthenic pyxids. In classical times, a variant called Type A with a concave, steep wall dominated. In addition, type B , for which there was a slip lid, was also popular. In the Hellenistic period, the vessels grew taller.

From the Constantinian Age, pyxids made mainly of ivory were used as sacred ceremonial vessels for storing incense, relics and hosts. Outwardly, they were usually decorated with reliefs of biblical scenes.

Ancient ceramic pyxide molds

Type	variant	comment	Redrawing	example
Horse pyxis
Handle pyxis
Ball pyxis
Corinthian pyxis
Attic pyxis
	Type a
	Type B
	Type c
	Type D
	Nicosthenic pyxis	Developed in the workshop of the potter Nikosthenes
Tripod pyxis
Apulian pyxis
Double pyxis

Web links

Commons : Pyxis  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joseph Sauer : The early Christian ivory sculpture . EASeemann, Leipzig 1922, p. 5 ( BdK 38 )