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Egyptian stone beaker

€2,690
available
Object number
AR3056A
Object: Egyptian stone beaker

Material: Egyptian alabaster, calcite type.

Period: 3rd dynasty of ancient Egypt,
approx. 2700 BC to 2620 BC.
Old Kingdom.

Description:    Tall cylindrical beaker with concave walls. Flat base and slightly flaring rim. The elegant stone vase could have been used as an ointment vessel. The shape is well known from the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom.

Background: The ancient Egyptian stone vessels are made to last. They are the perfect equipment for the afterlife. It is therefore no coincidence that the technology for working very hard and durable rock was developed in predynastic Egypt. The art was perfected over time and stone vessels were not only manufactured for the domestic market, but soon established themselves as sought-after export goods for the entire Eastern Mediterranean.
Due to their timeless elegance, the stone vessels are extremely popular to this day and never miss in any important collection of Egyptian antiquities.

Dimensions: 135mm height.

Condition: Perfect condition, only minor and stable cracks.

Provenance: Acquired by us in 2020 on the British art market. Previously in a Swiss family collection, Zuerich. Acquired into the collection between 1975 and 1980 in Egypt, when the family lived in Cairo. Exported in 1980 when the family moved from Egypt to Switzerland.

References: Cf. C. E. Loeben, Aegyptiaca Kestneriana, volume 1 (2020), p. 71, I.3.
Cf. Brooklyn Museum, acc. no. 34.976.
Cf. Antiquities Museum - Bibliotheca Alexandrina, museum no. 0698, acc. no. 5756 (Saqqara Storeroom).

Literature: A commendable collection of articles about ancient Egyptian stone vessels can be found in C. E. Loeben, Aegyptiaca Kestneriana, volume 1 (2020).

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.