Lot 87
**First Time At Auction**
Ancient Near East, Phoenicia, ca. 8th to 5th century BCE. A sizable and splendid wheel-thrown pottery transport amphora with a wide hemispherical base, a tapering body, a rounded shoulder, a petite rim, and a pair of applied loop handles, all enveloped in rich remains of creamy beige pigment. Based on the shape, this amphora may have been used to transport stewed fruit or salted fish (larger examples were used for wine and olive oil), however the lack of the original cork and pitch stopper mean the original contents are unknown. Amphorae formed the basis of the ancient Mediterranean economy as storage vessels for transporting goods throughout the Empire, with examples found from North Africa to Britain. The rounded base on this amphora was intended for storage in soft ground; the handles made the amphora easy to transport on ships by placing it in a specially-designed rack and roping it through the handles to others. Size: 13" Diameter x 22" H (33 cm x 55.9 cm); 24" H (61 cm) on included custom stand.
The form of the amphora is considered Phoenician, though many of this tradition were manufactured in Carthage in Tunisia, Sulcis in Sardinia, and Mozia - an island on the Western coast of Sicily. This vessel bears a striking resemblance to an amphora donated to the Il-Hagar Museum in Malta in 2020 (found published in the Times of Malta, "Ancient amphora donated to Il-Hagar" published October 19th, 2020). Handwritten information on base reads, "MALTA | FOUND 2[?] MARC[?] [?]ATHAM TERRY | [?] IRISH FUSILIERS | [?]"
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Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired before 2003; ex-old English collection, acquired in the 1980s
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#177324
- Condition: Expected surface wear with nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age. Minor chipping and pitting to handles. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remains of white pigment. Handwritten information on base reads, "MALTA | FOUND 2[?] MARC[?] [?]ATHAM TERRY | [?] IRISH FUSILIERS | [?]"
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