CC0 · no rights reserved
Siren-Shaped Perfume Flask
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSiren-Shaped Perfume Flask, 600–480 BCE. Greece. Terracotta; overall: 12.7 x 18.1 x 6.7 cm (5 x 7 1/8 x 2 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1928.193
