Lot 10
**Originally Listed At $600**
Egypt, Late Dynastic period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful vase, hand-carved from banded alabaster, with natural colors including pale yellow, creamy beige, and sumptuous caramel. The vessel sits atop a wide, rounded base and has a gentle corseted body, a deep interior cavity, and a planar rim. Dozens of minute horizontal striations line the interior of the vase, indicating the cavity was formed through a meticulous drilling process. The elegant nature of this vessel is further emphasized when the faint mineral bands are illuminated under a bright light. Size: 2.8" W x 3.5" H (7.1 cm x 8.9 cm).
Alabaster, which is a form of gypsum or calcite, soft to carve and smooth, was quarried along the length of the Nile, from Giza to just south of Luxor, and the Egyptians made its carved forms famous throughout the ancient world. Centuries later, the Greeks made vessels like this out of pottery and painted them white in imitation of the beautiful stone. On this example, as you examine the interior, you can see the grooves left behind from carving and smoothing it into its current form.
Provenance: ex-Davis collection, Houston, Texas, acquired before 2013 from various auction houses in London and New York
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#132857
- Condition: Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, small nicks and areas of roughness to rim, body, and base, with some discoloration along the rim, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |