Artwork Page for Black-Topped Beaker

Details / Information for Black-Topped Beaker

Black-Topped Beaker

c. 4000–3500 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada I–IIb

(3900–3300 BCE)
Medium
Nile silt pottery
Measurements
Diameter: 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.); Overall: 29.1 cm (11 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1920.1980
Public Domain
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Location
107 Egyptian
Print

Description

Red polished vessels with black rims (known as black-topped red ware or B-ware) were the most common funerary pottery during the early Predynastic Period. The characteristic blackening of the rim was probably achieved by burying the mouth of the pot in the ashes of the kiln. The iron in the exposed part would then fire red while the covered area turned black.
A black-topped red ceramic beaker vessel features a tall, tapered form that narrows to a small base and flares toward a circular rim. The matte black top merges into a deep reddish-brown body through a thin band of burnt orange. Small, light-colored specks are scattered across the entire surface of the vertical form, contrasting with the smooth, earthy texture of the earthenware walls.

Black-Topped Beaker

c. 4000–3500 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada I–IIb (3900–3300 BCE)

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