Lot 9
Ancient Egypt, Meroe / Meroitic period, ca. 300 BCE to 400 CE. An attractive pottery pitcher, hand-painted in mesmerizing abstract decoration typical of the Meroitic period. Sitting upon a ring-form base, the graceful vessel presents a bulbous body with a sloped shoulder, a long neck, a flared rim, and an arched handle connecting rim to shoulder. The exterior is adorned by black and red pigments on a creamy beige-hued ground depicting horizontal bands of scrolling, geometric, and linear motifs. A rare, remarkably-intact example! Size: 6.5" L x 7.6" W x 8.3" H (16.5 cm x 19.3 cm x 21.1 cm)
According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: "From both the technical and aesthetic point of view, the ceramics produced during the Meroitic period of the Kushite kingdom are of superb quality. These ceramics are particularly common in Lower Nubia, where many sites have been excavated. Decorative elements include geometric designs, plant and animal motifs, and even human figures. Although their repertoire shows both Egyptian and Hellenistic influence, the Kushite ceramic artists of this period develop their own distinctive style, which makes Meroitic pottery easy to recognize."
The Meroitic period, the later phase of rule by the Kushite kings, is named after the royal burial ground at Meroe. In the third century BC the royal cemetery was moved there from Napata, though Meroe had long been one of the major centers of the Kushite state. This move broadly coincided with the arrival of Greek culture in Egypt, following the country's conquest by Alexander the Great. The resulting Graeco-Egyptian culture rapidly influenced the Kingdom of Kush giving its later phases a distinctive character. This was in contrast to the preceding Napatan period, which was influenced by the Pharaonic culture. The Kushite kingdom prospered, its rulers and the élite deriving wealth from control of the trade routes along the Nile valley from Central Africa to Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. Throughout the Meroitic period Egyptian elements introduced into Kushite royal burial practices under the early Napatan kings were retained and reinterpreted. The sculpture and architecture of the period shows much influence from the Greek and the Graeco-Roman world. The fine pottery decorated with geometric forms and floral and animal motifs shows a similar influence. Monumental inscriptions were traditionally written in the hieroglyphic script but, from the second century BC onwards, the use of the native language of the Kushite Kingdom, Meroitic, became common.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-prominent Daryl Kulok collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 2000s
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#183986
- Condition: Chipping to areas or walls and foot, as well as pitting, nicks, and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact and excellent with good remaining pigments and chemical deposits to surface. Old collection labels to underside of base.
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