Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful bottle carved by hand from banded alabaster of pale coffee, caramel, and cream hues. The vessel rests on a planar base and boasts a rotund ovoid body with a sloping shoulder, a squat neck, and a petite rim. Holding the bottle close to a bright light illuminates the natural citrine hue of the stone as well as the darker banding within. Alabaster, which is a form of easily-shaped gypsum or calcite, was quarried along the length of the Nile, from Giza to just south of Luxor, and the Egyptians made its carved form famous throughout the ancient world. Size: 3.375" W x 6.55" H (8.6 cm x 16.6 cm).

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1960s

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#139376

Bottle professionally repaired and restored from multiple large pieces with some resurfacing and smooth stabilization material along break lines. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, minor nicks to rim, neck, body, and base, with some darkening to the natural stone color, and some small pitting holes. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label beneath base.