Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic period, Naqada, ca. 3000 BCE. A beautiful coil-formed Nile silt pottery vase with a highly-burnished exterior surface covered in a deep, earthy iron-oxide slip. The conical body rests atop a gently rounded base, its walls gradually flaring outwards to a thin rim, with a deep interior cavity. The upper exterior rim as well as the vessel's basin are colored black, comprised of thick carbon deposits formed by subjecting them extensively to thick clouds of smoke in an oxygen-deprived environment. Black-top vessels originally rose to popularity during the early Naqada I, a culture which inhabited ancient Egypt during its pre-dynastic period. The Naqada were first described by famed archaeologist William Flinders Petrie, however relatively little is known about them except that they were focused around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt, west of the Nile River. Size: 5.25" W x 10" H (13.3 cm x 25.4 cm)

Pre-Dynastic Egyptian black-top vessels were traditionally made from silt deposits taken from the Nile river due to their abundance in iron and silica. After the pot had dried but before it was fired, it would first be burnished and rubbed smooth with a small stone to create the pinstripe vertical striations still visible today. An iron-rich slip would then be applied just before firing; when placed in an oxygen-rich environment, the elevated temperatures would create the vessels’ signature red-orange hue.

After the end of the Naqada III period around 3,000 BCE, the use of Nile silt in pottery creations fell out of favor with the Pre-Dynastic Egyptians. This was due to the increase in the popularity of marl clay, a newly-discovered material for creating terracotta objects which was easier to shape and enabled firing at greater temperatures than the highly-porous silt. A few blacktop examples have been found from later Dynastic periods, however they were likely used solely for ritualistic and/or ceremonial purposes.

For a smaller but similar ritual example from the 13th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom, please visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 20.2.45: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545772

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#133211

Small drill hole on base. Vessel is intact, remarkably for its age, with extensive craquelure on its surface and a beautiful iridescent patina on the black.