Near Eastern terracotta cuneiform brick, Nippur, reign of Amar Sin, c.2046 BC
Dimensions 26.5 x 25cm
Greek amphoriskos in the shape of an almond. The wheel-made mouth and the neck attached to a mould-made body with a pitted surface, in the form of an almond shell....
Greek amphoriskos in the shape of an almond. The wheel-made mouth and the neck attached to a mould-made body with a pitted surface, in the form of an almond shell. Two arched handles, attached from the neck to the shoulder, align with the contours of the almond's edge. The body reserved, the neck, lip and handles in a metallic black slip. A beautiful realistic example. One handle restored, small chips in the glaze, otherwise intact. A flask such as this would have contained perfumed almond oil and would presumably have acted as a rather lavish votive offering. Almond vases appeared as a form from around 400 BC, and seemingly died out after a century. The most common form of almond vase was that of an amphoriskos, like the present example, however there are a few that have the single handles of lekythoi. Moulds for this type of vessel have been found at excavations in the Athenian Agora; the metallic quality of the glaze, and the red colour of the clay also point to this vase's origin in an Athenian workshop.
Provenance
Collection of Mr. Cazenave, Paris; acquired c.1960Literature
For the form compare Beth Cohen, The Colours of Clay: Special Techniques in Athenian Vases (Malibu, 2006), p. 288, no. 88For a discussion on almond flasks in the Athenian Agora see E. Reeder, "Figurine Vases from the Athenian Agora", Hesperia 47, issue 4, pp. 357-401
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