Egyptian Alabstron
Egyptian Alabstron
This beautiful alabastron with slender, elongated proportions is naturally adorned by the regular, horizontal veins of the alabaster, admirably highlighted by the artist.
6th century B.C., 7th century B.C.
H: 16.5 cm
Out of stock
Product Description
This beautiful alabastron with slender, elongated proportions is naturally adorned by the regular, horizontal veins of the alabaster, admirably highlighted by the artist. Two small knobs are carved on the upper body, recalling the handles of the large-sized jars, of which the alabastron is a miniature version. At the neck, the vessel narrows and terminates in a disc-shaped lip with a rounded, broad rim typical of this form of vessel.
Originating in Egypt, alabastra served to store and carry the perfumes and precious oils that were used during funeral rites or as cosmetics. They were very successful and quickly spread throughout the ancient world.
The even, perfectly symmetrical shape of the vessel indicates that after a rough modeling, the carver would have used a rotating technique, probably employing some sort of lathe; the alabastron was then finally smoothed and polished with emery and/or sand.
In the Neolithic period already, stone vessels had a key role in the Near Eastern economies, since they can be found almost everywhere (from Egypt to the Mesopotamian, Iranian or Bactrian worlds), in many shapes, for varied uses, in various dimensions and stones. This age-old tradition continued throughout the 1st millennium B.C.: among the different stones used for this type of containers, calcite or “Egyptian alabaster” would have been the most famous.
