Lot 14B
Ancient Greece, Crete / Aegean Sea, Minoan civilization, Aegean Bronze Age, ca. 1600 to 1450 BCE. A graceful serpentine bowl featuring a narrow base and a high-shoulder carved with ribs and grooves. Conventionally termed "blossom bowl" because of the characteristic relief decoration of flower buds with central ribs around the conical body, vessels like this one have been found in both domestic and funerary contexts, and are presumed to have held precious commodities such as perfumes, ointments or spices. Crafted from serpentine, a stone native to the island of Crete, it showcases the mastery of Minoan stone carvers. Although the actual methods of production remain unknown, it is believed that this type of vase was crafted through a subtractive process; the stone was first shaped with a hammer, then the interior was drilled, and finally the relief decoration was added with a chisel. The finished blossom bowl was likely polished with oil to enhance the natural luster of the stone. Size: 2.9" Diameter x 1.8" H (7.4 cm x 4.6 cm)
Minoan artists crafted vessels from a variety of stones using chisels, hammers, and copper-alloy saws. Finer tools like copper drills with abrasives were employed to hollow out their interiors. These vessels were durable versions of standard terracotta and metal forms, made with such high quality that they were exported throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Stoneware has been found in settlements, cemeteries, and sanctuaries alike; the smallest examples were likely votive offerings. Particularly popular and long-lived forms are bird's-nest and blossom bowls (such as this one), the latter perhaps imitating Egyptian lotus flowers in bloom.
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art (11.186.65, 26.31.436, 24.150.1, 26.31.433, 2001.761.6, 24.150.2, and 53.5.2) and RISD Museum (77.001).
Other Minoan serpentine blossom bowls have hammered 40,000 GBP ($68,679.31 today) at Sotheby's London on November 29, 2017 ("Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art," lot 10) and 40,062.50 GBP ($65,383.98 today) at Bonhams London on July 23rd, 2020 ("Antiquities," lot 1).
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired around 2000
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#190064
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Condition:
- Some chips to rim and nicks and abrasions to surface as shown, but otherwise, intact and excellent with smooth surfaces. Light earthen deposits to interior.
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