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Siren-Shaped Perfume Flask

600–480 BCE
terracotta
Overall: 12.7 x 18.1 x 6.7 cm (5 x 7 1/8 x 2 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1928.193
Location: 102C Greek
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Description

A half-bird, half-woman creature, a siren lured sailors to death by the sweetness of her song. The most famous sirens appear in the ancient epic the Odyssey. Shaped like a siren, this vessel likely held valuable perfumed oil. Its small mouth limited spillage, and a string attached to the loops on its back allowed it to hand or hold a stopper.
Siren-Shaped Perfume Flask

Siren-Shaped Perfume Flask

600–480 BCE

Greece

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