Vessel with Lug Handles
Predynastic Period, Naqada II–III (about 3500–3000 BCE)
Medium
Basalt
Dimensions
8.8 × 7.2 × 6.5 cm (3 1/2 × 2 7/8 × 2 9/16 in.)
Classification
vessel
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130070
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This jar was carved from very hard stone using a simple drill fitted with a copper tip. The small lug handles allowed for it to be suspended by cords. Vessels like this one were probably used for the storage of ointment or liquids.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....