Holy Land Terracotta Juglet with Flared Mouth and Strap Handle

Near East, Holy Land, Israel and Palestine. A wheel-thrown terracotta juglet with a slender ovoid body, made to fit comfortably in one hand. The body rises to a narrow neck that opens into a wide, trumpet-shaped mouth with a thickened rim. A single strap handle runs from just below the lip down to the shoulder, and the vessel stands on a low ring foot. The pinkish-red clay still shows the potter's work: faint spiral ridges and fine encircling lines left by the wheel cross the belly. Traces of black pigment remain on the neck and upper body. The narrow neck and flared lip would have made pouring easy to control, so the juglet was likely used to dispense oil, perfume, or other valued liquids in small amounts. The Nabataeans were an Arab people who grew wealthy by controlling the caravan routes that carried frankincense, myrrh, and spices from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean. Their rock-cut capital at Petra became one of the great trading cities of the ancient world. Rome annexed the kingdom as the province of Arabia Petraea in 106 CE. Nabataean potters are best known for their remarkably thin painted fine wares. Alongside these they made a wide range of plain wheel-thrown juglets, flasks, and unguentaria for household use and for the trade in aromatics. Item # 205712

Estimate:£300.12

View all items fromArtemis Fine ArtsorAsian Art