Cypriot Black on Red Ware Bowl
CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Cyprus. DATE: 7th Century BC (Iron Age, Cypro-Archaic Period) DIMENSIONS:
8 cm (3.1 in.) tall, 18.5 cm (7.2 in.) wide at the handlesDESCRIPTION: Intact. A large ceramic Cypriot
bowl in typical black on red ware of the Cypro-Archaic period. The vessel has a deep shape with broad mouth and rests on a
well formed flat base. There are two small handles at either side, each rising very steeply to just below the rim and with
a vertically placed slit opening, probably for suspension. On one side of the interior are a group of small black smudges,
possibly the potter's fingerprints. The bowl is covered all over with a bright orange-red slip that was originally polished,
with details in added black. These include a band covering the upper side of the handles and continuing down to meet with
a pair of broad bands encircling the vessel's exterior mid-section. A thin band covers the interior lip of the bowl and the
interior center is decorated with an arrangement of two thick bands with five narrow bands between and a single broad band
with a small circle at center in the bottom. Some rubbing to the slip on the exterior and bits of lime encrustation on the
interior. PROVENANCE: Property from an English deceased estate. COMPARISONS:
Typical of Cypro-Phoenician shapes of this period but definitely a local product. For a good review of Cypro-Phoenician pottery
types, see Glenn E. Markoe, Phoenicians, The British Museum Press, 2000, pages 160-163.
Item #CA-09-174
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