Description:

Central Asia, Bactrian, ca. 2500 to 2250 BCE. Skillfully carved from grey-green schist, an ornately incised vessel of a crescent moon shaped form, presenting vertical walls that are meticulously embellished with an intricate design program that includes a continuous register of alternating solid and striated triangular forms and a band of running waves. Polished stone vessels are common grave goods from this time period, and they often were left in the tomb with a food offering; however, ancient Mesopotamian vessels with more elaborate decorative/iconographic programs like this example may have contained prized possessions or luxury products, and given their impressive aesthetic qualities as well as the fact that archaeologists have typically found them in temple, grave, and palace sites must have been regarded as precious objects themselves. Size: 2.375" L x 3.375" W x .875" H (6 cm x 8.6 cm x 2.2 cm)

Provenance: private Illinois, USA collection

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#127272

  • Condition: Minor surface wear with chips to one end of crescent form and stains from old label on underside.

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December 5, 2017 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000