Lot 77A
Ancient Central Asia, Bactrian, ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A pair of complementary alabaster offering dishes. The larger is a shallow bowl with a small, rounded but stable base and thin walls that allow natural bands of citrine, beige, and grey hues to illuminate when held to a bright light. It has a shallow basin and walls that flare outward to an unpronounced rim. The second is a very shallow offering dish standing on a raised disc foot and featuring a projecting spout on one side and a short handle with a decorative form at a ninety degree angle to the spout. Size of the larger: 10.25" W x 3.4" H (26 cm x 8.6 cm)
Alabaster, a light-colored, calcareous stone found on the Iranian Plateau, has strong connections in ancient western and central Asia 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 4th millennium BCE onward. Dishes like these were made to be placed into a tomb to hold offerings.
Provenance: ex-Khan family collection, New Jersey, USA, 1980s
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#152922
- Condition: The larger of the two has been repaired from multiple large pieces; this is well done and unobtrusive, with small lines of visible adhesive along the repair lines. The other has a chip from one side and smaller chips from the spout and handle but is overall in very nice condition. Both have light deposits on their surfaces.
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