Large pelike with a piriform body on a discoid foot, belonging to Becker's Class XII. The inside of the neck is glazed; on the inside of the rim, a reserved band. At the junction of body and the discoid foot, a rounded fillet profile. The lower part of the discoid foot is reserved and the bottom is unpainted. It bears a graffito (Johnston, Trademarks, type 5F and 9F) very similar to a graffito found on the bottom of another pelike attributed to the Tyszkiewicz Painter (Villa Giulia, inv. 1129, from Falerii; cf. CVA Italia fasc. LXIV, p. 24). The pictures are framed above and laterally by pomegranate-nets. A purple line runs on the neck and above the picture frames, while a double line encircles the body below. Side A: Toilet scene depicting two naked maidens washing at a louterion. In the field, hanging on a wall, a sponge and aryballos. Side B: A maiden holds a fold of her chiton between her teeth, while using both hands to adjust her belt. Beside her, a male observer – perhaps the bridegroom – leans on a stick and offers a flower. Between the figures is a stool with a folded himation. The representation of the female body on A is based on masculine figures typically seen in palestrian scenes on contemporary ceramics. Thus, the flat chest, extremely elongated legs and very narrow hips. These nude female bathers, which first appear on red-figure vases in the last decade of the 6th century B.C., have long been interpreted as Hetairai. However, this interpretation has been widely debunked, with more recent studies suggesting they are more likely to represent Parthenoi (Pfisterer-Haas 2002, Sutton 2009). These young nubile women would be performing their ablutions either as part of the preparation for the nuptial ritual, or as the final stage of an athletic activity which was encouraged for young women as beneficial to produce strong offspring. The motif of the maiden tying her girdle and holding the overfold of her chiton between her teeth, on B, belongs to a related theme. The act of belt-tying was a symbol of status change for unmarried as well as for pregnant women (Sabetai 1997, p. 321). Both panels thus evoke transitional moment in a young woman's life. The pelike is one of a number painted by the Tyszkiewicz Painter, known for his distinctive monumental style. The choice of large framed fields with stiff but well drawn figures, are characteristic of his work. Assembled from several fragments. Abrasions on the rim, handles, lower body of B, and foot. Minor dents. On lower body, in A, "ghost" of a pomegranate-net pattern band caused by touching another vase during firing. The lower part of the vase was broken in Antiquity and repaired (holes and oxydised bronze pins in the lower body and foot).