The clay attic lekythos (perfume vase), that accompanied the burial of a young woman in a sarcophagus at the cemetery of Phoinikas Pylaia, represents in relief the young god Eros, winged and golden-haired.

He is depicted sitting relaxed on the back of a panther holding a bossed bowl in his right hand.

Wavy locks frame the god's face and a diadem adorns his forehead. He is depicted naked, while a mantle is wrapped around his right leg. Part of the mantle flutters freely below the body of the panther moving to the right, thereby giving a sense of movement.

A white layer of calcite and traces of colour (red, light blue, ochre) are preserved on almost the entire surface of the front side. The panther’s coat is rendered with black bosses. Rosettes decorate the vase around, while a black glaze covers the rim and the rear side.

This ornate vase is a remarkable example of a luxurious vessel, used to store oils, made probably in a workshop in Attica and then imported to Macedonia. It is dated to 375-350 B.C.

The presence of this vase as a grave offering in the young woman’s tomb and the depiction of Eros on a panther, recalls similar depictions of the god Dionysus and emphasises on the pleasures of love that she may not have had time to experience during her short earthly life.

You may see the vase at the permanent exhibition "Macedonia from the 7th c. BC to Late Antiquity", showcase 38.

Phoinikas, Cemetery, Grave 53. Female burial in a small monolithic pores sarcophagus, accompanied by many grave offerings.