AN EGYPTIAN ALABASTER JAR LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 664-525 B.C.

拍品描述

AN EGYPTIAN ALABASTER JAR, LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 664-525 B.C. Of tapering conical form, rising from a rounded base through smoothly attenuated sides to a short cylindrical neck and a flat, broadly projecting disc rim. Two small vertical lug handles, each pierced for suspension, are set diametrically opposed on the upper face of the rim. The stone is worked to a soft polish that reveals the natural banding of the calcite, with translucent honey-toned zones alternating with paler, milky strata, and patches of warm ochre encrustation around the rim and across the body. The interior is hollowed to a narrow cylindrical cavity that does not follow the full taper of the exterior, leaving substantial wall thickness, particularly toward the base. The form belongs to a long-established tradition of Egyptian stone vessels intended for the storage of precious unguents, perfumed oils, and cosmetic preparations. The pierced lug handles at the rim were designed to receive cords by which a covering, typically of linen or leather, could be tied over the mouth, sealing the contents and permitting the jar to be suspended or carried. The narrow opening restricts evaporation and controls the dispensation of viscous oils, while the heavy walls and thermal mass of the calcite preserve the contents from temperature fluctuation. Vessels of this profile are found both in funerary deposits and in domestic and temple contexts, where aromatic oils were used in cosmetic preparation, ritual anointing, and as offerings to the deceased. Calcite-alabaster, quarried principally at Hatnub in Middle Egypt and at the Wadi Gerrawi, held a particular status in Egyptian material culture. Its translucency was understood to associate it with light and purity, and its use was reserved for objects of consequence, ranging from royal canopic chests and offering tables to the unguent jars deposited in elite burials. The cool, dense stone was considered uniquely suited to the preservation of scented oils, and vessels of this material were valued well beyond their immediate function, frequently passing as heirlooms and as diplomatic gifts. The conservatism of the Egyptian stone-vessel tradition is such that forms first established in the Old Kingdom continued to be reproduced into the Late Period, often with deliberate archaising intent, as part of the Saite revival of earlier dynastic models. This jar exemplifies the restrained sculptural vocabulary of Saite stone vessels, in which the practical requirements of the unguent container, controlled aperture, sealable rim, and stable base, are resolved into a form of pure tapering geometry. The 26th Dynasty represents the final flourishing of the Egyptian alabaster vessel tradition before the Persian conquest, and pieces of this type stand at the close of a craft lineage extending back more than two millennia. Height: 24cm

图片