banner-onlineshop

Conical Old Kingdom stone vessel

€1,800
available
Object number
AR3057
Object: Conical stone vessel from ancient Egypt

Material: Beautifully banded Egyptian alabaster, calcite type.

Period: 5th to 6th dynasty,
approx. 2400 BC to 2150 BC.
Old Kingdom.

Description:    Slender conical vessel. Tapered base and a thick outwards facing rim. The elegant stone vase could have been used as an ointment vessel. The shape is well known from 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: 68mm height. Approx. 32mm diameter.

Condition: Very good condition apart from minor chips across the body. Wonderfully polished stone. The rim has been restored from fragments and was reattached. Including a modern black painted metal stand.

Provenance: Acquired by us in 2020 on the US-American art market. Previously in the US-American Raleigh family collection. Acquired into the collection in the mid 1950ies from a British curator in London. From the British private collection of Lord Grenville (1759-1834). An excavation in Abydos is passed down as the find spot.

References: Cf. C. E. Loeben, Aegyptiaca Kestneriana, volume 1 (2020), p. 75, III.4.

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.