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Pitcher
Egyptian
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Thutmose III
1479–1425 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Marl clay
Dimensions
Height x diameter: 18.8 x 14.4 cm (7 3/8 x 5 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. George A. Reisner
Accession Number19.1550
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsVessels
DescriptionFine burnished surface, dark reddish-brown and reddish-yellow pigment decoration-stylized foliage motif. This pitcher is an example of the finest pottery tableware produced during the New Kingdom. On a burnished, pale yellow surface, decoration was applied with a brush in dark reddish brown and reddish-yellow pigmant. The design is a stylized rendering of a foliage motif that first appears on broad jars made in the same fabric during the late Second Intermediate Period. The source may be the designs on bichrome ware, which was first imported into Egypt from the Levant at that time, but the fabric and technique are Egyptian. It has been suggested that the shape also derives from Syro-Palestinian pottery. In addition to skillful manipulation of the surface, obliterating all tool marks so that there is no trace at the base of the neck of the join between the two components, thrown separately on the wheel, the even color shows that the pot was most carefully fired. The fabric is an extremely hard and dense marl clay, the same as that used for cats. 56 and 57. Grave 199 in cemetery 110, from which the pitcher derives, is an intact burial datable to Thutmose III. J. D. B.
ProvenanceFrom Nubia, Firth cemetery 110