Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron

Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron

17701

$2,200.00
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New Kingdom to Late Period, ca. 1550–343 B.C.   

An ancient Egyptian alabastron, finely carved from translucent calcite-alabaster ("Egyptian alabaster") and used in antiquity to hold precious perfumed oils and cosmetic unguents. The vessel has an elegant elongated cylindrical body that swells gently at the center and tapers to a softly rounded base, rising to a short neck capped by a wide, flat circular disc rim — the characteristic spill-arresting mouth of the type. The stone retains its beautiful smooth, lustrously polished surface, with the warm honey-and-cream banding for which Egyptian calcite was prized throughout the ancient world; quarried along the Nile from Giza to south of Luxor, this material was deemed indispensable for both daily life and the afterlife. A faint turned groove encircles the upper body, and the form descends from the New Kingdom perfumed-oil vessels and continues, little changed, into the Late Period.  Carved from a single block and worked to a thin, even wall, the alabastron would originally have been closed with a stopper or lid to preserve its costly contents. A genuinely beautiful and substantial example of Egyptian stone-working, presented on a custom-made display mount.
Dimensions: Height 6-3/8 in. (16.2 cm); 7 in. (17.8 cm) on custom mount
Condition  intact, excellent. Handsome polished surface; consistent with age and burial.
Cf. The Art Institute of Chicago, ref. no. 1894.815, Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil), Egyptian carved alabaster, for a comparable vessel of this perfumed-oil tradition. See also The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Egyptian Art, for related calcite cosmetic vessels.

Provenance:  Mr. Sid Hart, Cos Cob, Connecticut, acquired 1980s–1990s.

All pieces are unconditionally guaranteed authentic and as described in perpetuity and have been legally acquired and imported in full accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations regarding the movement and sale of antiquities.

A signed guarantee of authenticity with a description and photograph of the item(s) accompanies this object.

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