Ancient Central Asia, Bactria (Bactria-Margiana/BMAC), ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A gorgeous, hand-carved vase of creamy white alabaster presenting natural banding in coffee, caramel, grey, and russet hues. The vessel sits atop a narrow circular base, its bulbous body with a projecting midsection and a tapering shoulder, and a thick, flared rim leading towards a deep interior cavity. Alabaster, a light-colored calcareous stone quarried from the Iranian Plateau, had strong connections in the ancient world to religion and specifically the gods. For example, in the site of Kultepe-Kanes, a huge burial mound, there were many disc-shaped alabaster idols, naked alabaster goddesses, and lion figures. We also know that alabaster was a precious material, widely traded in the region from the fourth millennium BCE onward. A vessel like this one, given the fine quality of the stone, was likely intended to be filled with offerings and placed into a tomb. Size: 9.375" W x 6.25" H (23.8 cm x 15.9 cm).

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Neil Phillips collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#137786

Vessel repaired from multiple large pieces with small nicks and light adhesive residue along break lines. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small natural losses along some banding veins, minor nicks to rim, body, and base, with some minor darkening to stone coloration. Light earthen deposits throughout.