Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic Period, Naqada III, ca. 3200 to 3000 BCE. A gorgeous, hand-carved red granite jar of a stable, round-bottomed form with a compressed spherical body bearing a pair of bow-drilled tube handles along the shoulder. Atop the narrow mouth is a petite rim with an acutely angled periphery that perhaps held a form-fitting lid at one time. Faint striations within the interior cavity illustrate how ancient Egyptian lapidary artisans used progressively wider drill bits along with copious amounts of abrasive sand to hollow out the inside. Abrasive sand was also utilized to smooth the exterior surfaces until they exhibited a lustrous presentation. Size: 4.4" W x 3" H (11.2 cm x 7.6 cm)

In addition to being quite striking, this jar represents a technological leap forward for the ancient Egyptians. In the early Pre-Dynastic period, artisans hollowed out hard stone vessels using hand-held stone borers and abrasive desert sand. Then, during the Naqada II period (ca. 3600 to 3200 BCE), the invention of copper tubes used to drill very hard stones (in conjunction with sand as an abrasive), allowed people to drill finer forms - like, for example, these lug handles. However, copper drills only allowed artisans to drill cylindrical items, and so the hollowing out of bulbous vessels like this one still required use of an elongated stone borer in the form of a figure-eight to get under the shoulder. Imagine the hours of work that went into making this single jar!

A stylistically similar example of a larger size hammered for GBP 32,500 ($42,568.50) at Christie's, London "Antiquities" auction (sale 1174, October 24, 2013, lot 95).

Provenance: ex-private Quinn collection, Los Angeles, California, USA; ex-private New Jersey, USA collection, purchased in the 1990s; ex-private collection, acquired in the 1970s from a private East Coast, USA collection

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#157220

Professional repair and restoration to large area of rim, area around one handle, and small area of base, with resurfacing along break lines and most exterior surfaces, and light overpainting atop new material and break lines. Minor nicks and abrasions to base, body, handles, and rim, with a couple of stable hairline fissures to rim, and light encrustations within interior. Light earthen deposits and nice smooth surfaces throughout.