Lekythos

Lekythoi were especially associated with funerary rites, and with the white ground technique of vase painting, which was too fragile for most items in regular use.

The lekythos was used for anointing unmarried women's dead bodies, and many lekythoi are found in tombs.

Many artists of these vessels attempted to add more color to the figures, but later abandoned the idea, which provides more of a contrast.

Some lekythoi were fitted with a small, inner chamber, limiting the amount of oil required to fill them.

[3] The lekythos was used to smear perfumed oil on a woman's skin prior to getting married and were often placed in tombs of unmarried women to allow them to prepare for a wedding in the afterlife.