After the decline of Mycenaean culture on the Greek mainland, culture, economy and technology did not recover until the beginning of the 9th and 8th centuries BC. This phase of Greek art and culture is called the 'Geometric Period'. It derives from the geometric decoration used on the ceramic vessels of this period, which used circles, zigzag patterns, triangles, lozenges, groups of strokes and chequerboard patterns in rhythmic succession after the freer design of the Mycenaean period. From about 800 BC onwards, this design form of the patterns was broken up by the inclusion of figurative motifs: grazing animals, as on this jug, warriors or chariot rides.
Because of its style, this jug is attributed to the workshop of the so-called Dipylon painter, who is considered one of the most important representatives of geometric vase painting. His main creative period was in the middle of the 8th century BC (AVS).
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