Elamite Crescent Shape Stone Vessel

£ 900.00

An Ancient Elamite steatite vessel of short crescentic form, featuring a flat base and a thick rim, decorated with an incised tessellating square pattern. The outer side of the vessel displays undulating horizontal bands and ivy leaf motives, while the inner side has a repeated triangle pattern with stepped horizontal lines running through these shapes.

 

Date: Circa 3rd-1st Millennium BC
Provenance: Sotheby’s sale December 1983, lot 39.
Condition: Very fine, with one large chip to the rim and minor chipping and earthy encrustations over the whole.
Product Code: NES-33
Category: Tags: , ,

The civilisation of Elam was one of the ancient culture within Mesopotamia and flourished between circa 2700 BC and 539 BC. Such vessel can be referred to the so-called Intercultural Style, an ensemble of carved vessels characterised by a distinctive low-relief decoration, depicting abstract and zoomorphic motifs. Vessels of this type have been recovered widely across all Near East regions dating from circa the 3rd millennium BC. This vessel could have been used for cosmetics: cosmetic products, such as eyeliner, were widely used in the Near East during ancient times. Various vessels were designed to facilitate skincare and the application of make-up, and this one could have been used to grind, mix, and apply ingredients for facial or body cosmetics.

To discover more about the Elamites, please visit our relevant post: Civilisations of the Ancient Near East.

Dimensions W 8.3 x H 2.3 cm
Stone

Steatite

Region

Near East (Western Asiatic)

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