Ancient Egypt, Predynastic Period, late Naqada II to early Naqada III, ca. 3500 to 3200 BCE. An elegant jar, hand-sculpted from a single piece of truly stunning breccia stone with a variegated surface in natural hues of sinopia and tawny with peach and apricot-colored inclusions. The graceful silhouette features an ovoid body, a tapered neck, and a thin, flared rim, all sitting upon a narrow, planar base. A petite pair of tubular handles flank the sloped shoulder. The exterior has been polished to be generally smooth, but the interior surface gives a better understanding of the rough material that the artisans had to work. Size: 2.9" Diameter x 3.5" H (7.4 cm x 8.9 cm)
In addition to being quite striking, this jar represents a technological leap forward for the ancient Egyptians. In the early Pre-Dynastic period, artisans hollowed out hard stone vessels using hand-held stone borers and abrasive desert sand. Then, during the Naqada II period (ca. 3600 to 3200 BCE), the invention of copper tubes used to drill very hard stones (in conjunction with sand as an abrasive), allowed people to drill finer forms - like, for example, these lug handles. However, copper drills only allowed artisans to drill cylindrical items, and so the hollowing out of bulbous vessels like this one still required use of an elongated stone borer in the form of a figure-eight to get under the shoulder. Imagine the hours of work that went into making this single jar!
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 66.99.198, and National Museum Liverpool, 1977.112.92.
A slightly larger but stylistically similar jar sold for $18,750 at Sotheby's New York on December 8th, 2011 (lot 39, sale number N08810).
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010; ex-Royal Athena, New York, New York, USA, purchased from retail gallery (not from auction)
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#172724
Condition
About 1/4 is professionally repaired with break lines slightly visible and minor restoration to small areas of rim, shoulder, and 1 handle. Expected light nicks with some abrasions, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent. Royal Athena collection label on base.