Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 500 to 330 BCE. A pretty bronze basin or phiale, a special libation bowl used for holding wine, with a hollow, rounded, raised boss, known as an omphalos, in the center. The omphalos is thought to have symbolized the navel of the earth, the central point of power that all things revolved around. The sides of the bowl are scalloped/fluted below a slightly pronounced rim. Size: 6.3" W x 1.45" H (16 cm x 3.7 cm)
Libation bowls, known as phiale, were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia. These shallow bowls for holding wine in ritual and ceremonial settings were made from many materials - glass, ceramic, and many kinds of metal. They functioned both as tableware and as wealth - they could be stored in the royal treasury or given as gifts to people they were hoping to influence. Fluted bowls like this one seem to have been inspired by the Assyrian period. Bowls like this one are remarkably similar across the Achaemenid Empire, reflecting a central iconography and artistic style; they were used by the elite across the Empire to signify their membership in a rarified club of powerful people.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#141829
Condition
Small bends and dents on surface. Mottled black and deep turquoise patina on surface. Nice preservation of form. Old collection sticker on interior.