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Small offering dish/lid with plaster and feathers
Nubian
Napatan Period
about 750–270 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Nuri
Medium/Technique
Pottery, feathers
Dimensions
Overall: 4.5 x 15 cm (1 3/4 x 5 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number20.4211
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsArchitectural elements – Foundation deposits
DescriptionCommon in grave, tomb, and temple contexts, small vessels such as this example are often called "offering bowls/dishes" or, because of their small size, "model bowls." In ancient times they could be used for the presentation of offerings at a tomb or temple or as model offerings in and of themselves. Some were also employed as lids for jars with mouths of appropriate diameter. Such dishes/lids are most often made of medium to coarse grades of clay. Knife-cut or cord-cut bases are common, though rounded bases occur as well. Frequent irregularities or asymmetry in shaping reflect fast work and mass production. This example has a small mass of plaster on the base into which some white feathers have been encased.
ProvenanceFrom Nuri. 1916-1918: Excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of the Sudan.
(Accession Date: August 16, 2006)
(Accession Date: August 16, 2006)