Central Asia, Bactria (Bactria-Margiana/BMAC), ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A shallow dish carved from alabaster with a rounded rim, its surface incised regularly, with four projecting flares, each roughly ninety degrees away from each other, one drilled through beneath the rim. The dish stands on a rounded base. Alabaster, a light-colored, calcareous stone from 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. A dish like this one was made to be placed into a tomb to hold offerings. Size: 5.7" W x 2.05" H (14.5 cm x 5.2 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#141899

Deep fissure down rim on one side has been repaired. Otherwise in nice condition with light surface scratching commensurate with wear and deposits.