Object Description
Ca. 6th-4th Century BC
A beautiful alabaster alabastron originating from Cyprus. The vessel is broken at the top, but the slender body remains, with several encircling lines incised on the shoulder and two evenly-spaced incisions near the base. Alabastra are ubiquitous in the Greek world, but the Cypriot stone examples begin during the Archaic period and become widespread during the Classical, perhaps due to the abundance of alabaster deposits on the island. The consistency of the shape makes it difficult to date them and to distinguish local from imported examples. Alabastra seem primarily to have been vessels for perfumed oil, as indicated by scenes on vases depicting it in use, e.g., by women after bathing. For similar, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 74.51.5101
Size: L:240mm / W:75mm ; 1.01kg