Friday, August 15, 2014
"Predynastic Pots"
6:34pm

"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)


Bowl with human feet
Egypt (Naqada), Naqada I, about 3850-3650 BCE
Pottery (Nile silt ware)
Emily Esther Sears Fund 1903, MFA #03.1954

Tall footed jar
Egypt (Mesaid, tomb 29), Naqada I, about 3850-3650 BCE
Basalt, H x W: 21.2 x 11.5 cm (8 3/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition 1911, MFA #11.186
"This bowl shows stylized hippopotami in a landscape. The animals appear in profile, with clearly delineated eyes, ears, legs, and tails. The wavy, concentric lines at the center are meant to represent water, while the zigzag lines around the border suggest cliffs on the horizon. Scenes of wild creatures may have been intended to impart the animals' powers to the vessels' owners, granting them success in the hunt and protection from danger in the afterlife." (From the info card)


Ripple flaked knife
Egypt, said to be from Naqada, Naqada I, about 3850-3650 BCE
Flint, Width x length: 5 x 21.5 cm (1 15/16 x 8 7/16 in.)
Emily Esther Sears Fund 1903, MFA #03.1390

Double vase
Egypt, from el-Mahasna, Tomb H. 39, Naqada I, about 3850-3650 BCE
Pottery (Nile silt ware), Width x length: 7.3 x 10 cm (2 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.)
Egypt Exploration Fund by subscription 1909, MFA #09.380


Bowl decorated with hippopotami
Egypt, Mesaid, tomb 26, no. 6; Naqada I, 3850–3650 B.C.E.
Pottery (Nile silt ware), Height x diameter: 6.8 x 19.4 cm (2 11/16 x 7 5/8 in.)
Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition 1911, MFA #11.312
"This bowl shows stylized hippopotami in a landscape. The animals appear in profile, with clearly delineated eyes, ears, legs, and tails. The wavy, concentric lines at the center are meant to represent water, while the zigzag lines around the border suggest cliffs on the horizon. Scenes of wild creatures may have been intended to impart the animals' powers to the vessels' owners, granting them success in the hunt and protection from danger in the afterlife." (From the info card)
(I have another view of this piece, and another info card for more info.)


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


Jar with boats and plants
Egypt, Mesaid, tomb 102, no. 9 ; Naqada II, 3650–3300 B.C.E.
Pottery (Marl clay ware), Height x diameter: 10.5 x 8.4 cm (4 1/8 x 3 5/16 in.)
Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition 1913, MFA #11.308


Bowl with crocodile hunt
Egypt, (Abydos) cemetery U.; Naqada I, 3850–3650 B.C.E.
Pottery (Nile silt ware), Height x diameter: 6.2 x 15.6 cm (2 7/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Egypt Exploration Fund by subscription 1911, MFA #11.1460
"Shallow bowl of red Nile sily clay; hand polished; with white line decoration showing a scene of two men using a net to capture a crocodile." (From museum website)

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