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Painted globular jar
Nubian
Meroitic Period
about A.D.100-199
Findspot: Sudan, Meroe, W 284
Medium/Technique
Pottery
Dimensions
Overall: 10.7 x 11 cm (4 3/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number23.1468
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsVessels
DescriptionFine drab ware globular pot with very short neck. Painted decoration of naturalistic plant forms in red and brown. Cracked and chipped. Painted decoration is uncommon in the Nile Valley, but an exuberant style emerged in the area of Lower Nubia in the Late Meroitic period, around the end of the first century A.D. The motifs were influenced both locally and by Egyptian and Hellenistic prototypes. Only a limited range of earth pigments were used in the manufacture of Meroitic vessels, namely black, red, white and occasionally yellow. These were applied to weelmade vessels fo a fine, thin and highly fired clay. The decoration varied from simple to intricate and could be pictorial or naturalistic. The leaves on vines represented on this pot are an example of the naturalistic style. (RCK V, pg. 140, Fig. G pg. 343).
ProvenanceFrom Meroe, W. 284. 1923: excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Sudan.