geometric oinochoe with ibex and birds

Symbol of energy, vitality, resilience, long life and fertility. The ibex, also known as the "Kri-Kri", is the bearded, wild, and shy goat that abounds in Crete, easily identified by its thick, curved, ridged horns.

In Greek mythology, Zeus was reared on Crete by the goat Amalthea, whom he then, in gratitude for looking after him, turned into the constellation Capricorn.

The elegant shape of the ibex accounts for its popularity on ancient Greek pottery in the geometric and Corinthian styles.

The Geometric Style in Greek art dates to ca 900-700 BCE.

The decoration is formulaic, with the repetition of stylised motifs such as the zigzag, the triangle, the meander, and other linear and wave motifs. In addition to these abstract elements, vase painters gradually introduced stylised animals, birds, and human forms.

The literary counterpart would be the repeated epithets and formulaic phrases in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

This pottery collection is produced in Greece in the workshop of the Lioulias family, with whom It's All Greek is privileged and proud to have been working since 2004. They also produce our lovely Minoan pottery and fresco pieces, and a small collection of bronzes.