Bowl with Gazelle Comb

Bowl with gazelle comb and triangle motif
Egypt, Mesaid, tomb 763; Naqada I (Amratian) 3850–3650 B.C.E.
Pottery (Nile silt ware), Diameter: 15.7 cm (6 3/16 in.)
Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition 1913, MFA #13.3935

"Painted pottery first appeared during the Naqada I period (3850-3650 BCE). The designs were applied in ocher on the surface of red polished pottery, usually before the pots were fired in the kiln. The characteristic decoration of crisscrossing lines may initially have imitated basketry, but the finest painters also included naturalistic decoration and scenes of hunting and daily life. Scholars have noted several different types of decoration. These alterate designs seem to be associated with the major cult centers of the period." (From the wall display)
Photos ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014