Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 2500 to 2250 BCE. An incredible carved vessel, conical in form, rising to a flared mouth and broad rim. The vessel sits on a flat base. The sides have been carved with a profusion of fierce animals in low relief. Two bands of carving show leopards, their bodies heavily studded with deeply incised spots, hunting birds and an ibex. Shell inlays fill in a few of the leopards' spots - it is unclear how many there were originally. The significance of the felines would have been their hunting prowess and fierceness, a common motif in Central Asia that seems to have been associated with elite power and royalty. This is a unique, large vessel from a little-known culture. Size: 5.25" W x 10.05" H (13.3 cm x 25.5 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#136301

Light scratching and wear on surface commensurate with age. It is unclear if there were once more inlays but some may be lost.