Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful jar of utilitarian form that is hand-carved from creamy honey-yellow alabaster with opaque white veining throughout. The piriform vessel presents with a planar base, a smooth shoulder that tapers to form a corseted neckline, and a thick rim surrounding the mouth of the vessel. The interior basin was drilled out using progressively finer drill bits and copious amounts of abrasive sand, and evidence of the original drill marks are still visible within. Alabaster, which is a form of gypsum or calcite, was quarried along the length of the Nile River, from Giza to just south of Luxor, and the Egyptians made its carved forms famous throughout the ancient world. This item would have perhaps held offerings in a tomb. Size: 3.6" Diameter x 4.375" H (9.1 cm x 11.1 cm)
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#143430
Condition
Small chips to rim, with light encrustations across most surfaces, otherwise intact and very good. Nice earthen deposits throughout, and great surface smoothness in some areas. Stone colors and banding illuminate when placed next to a bright light source.