Description

A black-topped red ware jar with thickened rim, body tapering to a narrow flat base.

A black top vessel from the Naqada period is a type of hand-made Egyptian pottery characterized by a black band at the rim, created by inverting the pot in a bonfire to restrict oxygen during firing, resulting in a black color while the rest of the vessel turned red. Many black-topped vases are found in graves and in burial contexts, which suggests ritual or funerary importance.

Positive thermoluminescence test. Samples taken from base and inside top part. 

Comparable:

www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA30831

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547240

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547291

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/558253

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/558254

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/546034

Culture

Naqada II 

Dating

Circa 3400 - 2800 B.C.

Size

23 cm

Provenance

Dutch collection. Bought at Sworders Auction UK. 

UK Private collection, Middleton Hall, Mendham, Suffolk. The estate of Middleton Hall has passed through generation after generation, nestled in the charming Suffolk countryside and can boast over seven hundred years of historical significance.

Bonhams, Antiquities Tuesday 7th April 1998. Knightsbridge, lot 450

Publications

Bonhams, Antiquities Tuesday 7th April 1998. Knightsbridge, lot 450. Digital copy included.

Condition

Great condition. Two cracks and some surface pitting.