Artwork Page for Squat Jar with Lug Handles

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Squat Jar with Lug Handles

2950–2573 BCE

Egypt, Early Dynastic (2950–2647 BCE), Dynasties 1–3

Medium
pegmatitic hornblende diorite
Measurements
Diameter: 21.1 cm (8 5/16 in.); Diameter of mouth: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.); Overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.); Diameter of mouth without rim: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.648
Public Domain
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Location
107 Egyptian
Print
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Did You Know?

The stone used for this vessel, a pegmatitic hornblende diorite whose white crystals contain a faint tint of pink, indicates it must have been considered a luxury item.

Description

A single tomb might contain hundreds of stone vessels replicating the shapes of pottery vessels used in everyday life. The most popular material for stone vessels was white or banded travertine (Egyptian alabaster), found close to the Nile, but prospectors and quarrymen often traveled far in search of the desired materials. The hard stone hornblende diorite, notable for its mottled texture, was quarried in the desert along the route to the Red Sea.
A mottled black and white stone vessel has a squat, rounded body carved from pegmatitic hornblende diorite. High-contrast, irregular patches of creamy white and deep black stone splotch across the surface in a mosaic-like pattern. A short neck with a thick, flared rim surrounds the wide top opening. Two small handles with central holes project from the sides, while the vessel's heavy form curves inward toward a hidden, flattened base.

Squat Jar with Lug Handles

2950–2573 BCE

Egypt, Early Dynastic (2950–2647 BCE), Dynasties 1–3

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