Bowl
Unknown Artist
4th–7th century
Medium
Earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 2 7/16 x 3 11/16 in. (6.2 x 9.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1925
Accession Number
25.10.20.296
Tags
Art Historical Context
This modest earthenware bowl, crafted by an unknown Coptic artist between the 4th and 7th centuries, offers a glimpse into everyday life in early Christian Egypt. Measuring just 2 7/16 x 3 11/16 inches, it exemplifies the practical ceramics produced during the Coptic period—a time when Egypt transitioned from pharaonic traditions to Christian influences under Roman and Byzantine rule. Coptic culture, centered in monasteries and rural communities, blended ancient Egyptian motifs with emerging Christian, though this simple vessel focuses on functionality. Earthenware, fired at low temperatures ...