Lot 22A
Ancient Greece, Cyprus, Late Cypriot II / Late Bronze Age, ca. 1550 to 1300 BCE. An elegant bilbil vessel displaying a classic silhouette of an egg-shaped body, a tall conical neck, a flared spout, and a ribbon-form handle, all sitting upon a discoid foot. White-on-black painted decoration adorns the surface with vertical striations lining the body and horizontal bands encompassing the neck. This vessel belongs to a class of pottery known as Base Ring Ware, which spans the Late Bronze Age, though pottery with white painted decoration like this one tends to be late within that range. Some scholars have argued that vessels of this type were used to contain opium, partially because its shape resembles the bulb of the opium poppy and due to the discovery of poppy alkaloids on their interiors. Size: 5.8" W x 11.1" H (14.7 cm x 28.2 cm)
This time period in the eastern Mediterranean and ancient Near East is often referred to as an "age of internationalism" since Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Anatolia, and the Levant were in such close political, economic, and cultural contact at the time. Base Ring Ware is highly indicative of this trend, since it was made in Cyprus and found its way to Israel through economic or cultural exchange.
Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 2004 to 2023, reference number EL02.007.2004.
A similar base ring bilbil vessel can be found in the British Museum as museum number 1876,0909.53.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from Goldberg Auctions, September 30, 2003, lot 416; Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 2004 to 2023, reference number EL02.007.2004
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#182157
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration over some break lines and others visible in areas. Small chip to rim and nicks and abrasions to areas, commensurate with age. Otherwise, good overall presentation with nice remaining pigments.
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