Ancient Near East/Central Asia, Indus Valley, Harappan/Mohenjo-Daro civilization, ca. 2300 to 1900 BCE. An exquisite, hand-built pottery jar of a massive size with a planar base, a spherical body with a gently carinated midsection, rounded shoulders, and a thin rim surrounding the cavernous interior. The exterior of the bulbous vessel is adorned with a wavy band of black pigment along the lower body, concentric bars encircling the midsection, and concentric quadrilateral forms - perhaps representing plots of land - connected via intersecting concentric pathways. The upper shoulder is embellished with additional concentric stripes, and just beneath the rim is a register of minimalist, stylized ibexes with plump bodies, petite tails, and grand horns curving above their slender heads. Vessels like this example were perhaps used as sizable storage containers or - since the translation of Mohenjo-Daro is "Mound of the Dead" - even funerary urns like a cinerarium. A beautiful example of ancient Indus Valley pottery! Size: 15.5" Diameter x 12.5" H (39.4 cm x 31.8 cm)
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report is available for purchase. Please inquire.
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#137810
Condition
Repaired from over 20 large pieces, with restorations to areas of rim and body, and resurfacing with overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions and light encrustations across interior and exterior surfaces, with light fading to original pigment, and nicks to rim, body, and base. Nice preservation of linear and zoomorphic motifs. TL drill hole beneath foot.