Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, 3rd to 6th Dynasty, ca. 2686 to 2181 BCE. A superb jar carved from honey-yellow banded alabaster of a cylindrical form that tapers dramatically to a conical base. The tall walls create its minimalist beauty and are surmounted by a squat, flared rim that surrounds the deep basin. This type of vessel would have perhaps held oils and animal fats to be used as moisturizers or other salves to protect against the harsh Egyptian sun. Size: 2.2" W x 4.875" H (5.6 cm x 12.4 cm)
Alabaster, which is a form of gypsum or calcite, soft to carve and smooth, was quarried along the length of the Nile, from Giza to just south of Luxor, and the Egyptians made its carved forms famous throughout the ancient world. A thousand years later, the Greeks made vessels like this out of pottery and painted them white in imitation of the beautiful stone.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 21.2.8
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000
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#158876
Condition
Repair to small area of rim, with nearly invisible adhesive residue along break lines that do not detract from the overall presentation. Minor abrasions and encrustations to body and rim, with small chip to rim. Great surface smoothness throughout.